Her haunting past
by Imagination Writer 247
Summary: Jackie Holloway, or now wanting to be called Jackie Morris, took Batman's offer as an attempt to start over. She's now a part of the Team, but she's having difficulty trusting her new teammates because of her past. Will she learn to trust her teammates and tell them who she really is? Or will her past keep her quiet and force her to be who she was before? Eventual Kaldur X OC.
1. Chapter 1: Training

**Before reading this story, please read my story, "You'll always be my hero, Jackie." I suggest you read it because this is the sequel to that story and will be confusing if you don't. Thank you! Enjoy! :)**

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 **Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice! I only own my OC's! All rights go to their respective owners.**

 **Also, this is the TV show version and set in Year 1. :)**

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Gotham City

September 1st, 10:45 pm.

For a week now, Batman had been training Jackie, so she could get back into the habit of fighting her opponents and learn a few tricks from him before heading over to the Team's hideout. Unfortunately, she wasn't remembering her moves that quickly.

She fell on her knees in pure exhaustion as she held her stomach in pain after Batman punched her there. "This is crazy," she breathed out. "How am I supposed to fight my enemies if I can't even block a punch?"

"You're hesitating," he replied as he moved behind her. "You can't hesitate when fighting the enemy."

She stood up and walked over to the edge of the five-story warehouse. "Maybe I'm not cut out for this," she muttered as the wind blew her hair forward, and she wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to keep warm. "No matter what I do, I seem to keep failing."

"Miss Morris?" Batman asked, but she didn't bother to turn around. "Miss Morris, look at me."

She sighed but kept her back to him. "What, Bats?"

"Catch."

When her hearing picked up something being thrown in her direction, she reacted quickly by turning around and putting up an electric shield around herself, which she learned how to do yesterday. The item, a batarang, came in contact with the shield and fell to the floor when it couldn't break through.

She kept her shield up as she glared at him. "What was that for?!"

"To test you," he answered simply and walked over to stand in front of her. "You said that no matter what you do, you fail; you didn't fail to protect yourself, and you kept your shield stable when my batarang hit it, which means your becoming more in control of your powers."

She sighed and dropped her shield. "I guess so, but I still don't like the level I'm at."

"Then try harder and don't hesitate."

"Fine," she answered and massaged the back of her neck. "Can we practice more tomorrow though? We've been doing this for hours, and I'm exhausted."

"Fine," he replied and pulled out his grappling gun. "Fly home."

Her eyes widened. "But I can't fly," she stated, which was half true; she could fly, but she couldn't control when to fly and what direction she was flying in.

"Yes, you can; you just need to practice. Jump off."

"'Jump off'," she repeated and looked down, immediately regretting it when fear hit her hard in the stomach. "I'd rather practice on the ground."

He sighed and stood behind her. "I'll be right behind you. Now jump."

She gulped intentionally and looked forward. "But I'm afraid of heights; I can't just jump off."

"Either you jump or I push you off. You have five seconds."

"Five seconds?! Are you crazy?! I can't get over my fear in five seconds!?"

"One."

"Oh my gosh! Why do you want to do this when we are on top of a five-story building?! Why can't we do this when I'm on the ground so there's less of a risk of me dying?!"

"Two."

"Do I really have to? Can't I just take the stairs? They're only about twenty steps away from where we're standing," she said hopelessly.

"Three."

"Stop counting! It only makes this worse!"

"Four."

She sighed and lowered her head. "If I die, can you tell my mom that I love her? And tell my dad that I hate his guts? And tell Dick Grayson that I'm the one that lost his pen; I believe he said it was his foster father's pen, but I can't be sure."

"Five."

Right as he said 'five', she tried running around him, but he caught her, picked her up, and threw her over the edge. She felt fear escalate dramatically inside her as she got closer to the ground. She screamed and closed her eyes. "I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die," she repeated in her head.

"Concentrate!" Batman yelled, and she looked over to her left to see him falling next to her. "You can't let fear control your powers; you control them!"

Jackie whimpered as she saw the street below get closer and closer to her. "I can't!"

"Yes you can! You just have to concentrate!"

She closed her eyes, trying to signal her flight powers to turn on, but it wasn't working! "I still can't!"

Her hearing picked up the sound of Batman's grappling hook shoot off and felt his arm wrap around her waist. She opened her eyes to see them going up towards a nearby office building. Once they landed on the roof, Batman let her go, and she hugged herself tightly to try to calm down her trembling and to not let any tears fall out of her eyes.

"Are you alright?" he asked as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

She flinched away and took a step away from him. "'Alright'?! I could have died!"

"I told you I would be right there in case you couldn't activate your flight powers."

"Yet you risk my life!"

Batman narrowed his eyes. "The first time you discovered you could fly was when you were falling off of a cliff, and, at the last minute, you saved yourself by floating a few feet from the ground."

"So you're saying that if I feared for my life, like the first time, I could fly?!"

"No," he whispered. "If you were calm, like the first time."

Jackie's eyes widened as she stared at him. "Calm?" she asked a little below a whisper. "I wasn't calm."

"No, Jackie, you were; you felt like your time here on Earth was over when you were falling," he stated. "You were relieved."

The teenage girl turned away from him to keep him from seeing the stray tears that escaped her eyes. How did he know that she felt that way when she was falling? Probably 'cause, during that time, she discovered her telepathy, and she was able to read the minds of the other students at her old school of what they thought of her; what she heard, was that most of them didn't like her, and it triggered an old memory from her haunted past, making her believe that history was repeating itself, causing her to go deeper into her depression. He couldn't of known that though, could he?

"H-How did you know that?" she asked with her back still towards him.

"I was there when you fell," he answered. "That was after I found out about you."

"When did you find out about me?"

"When you discovered your electricity powers."

"You saw me put that man in a coma," she whispered and turned to look at him. "Why didn't you confront me?"

"I thought about it, but I figured you needed time to learn to control your powers."

"But you still kept an eye on me," she stated a little above a whisper. "Why? Did you want to make sure I didn't turn out to be a criminal?"

"That, and I wanted to make sure you didn't hurt yourself."

She looked down, but she smiled. "At least your honest."

"You deserve a good life, Miss Morris," he stated and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Your past shouldn't define you."

She nodded and grinned as she looked up at him. "You know, sometimes you make me think that your a therapist during the day."

"Really?" he asked as he crossed his arms.

"You're good at giving advice," she stated. "Don't get me wrong; I don't like therapists, but you're starting to make me think that maybe not all of them are bad."

"I see," he said.

"Well, are you?"

"Am I what?"

"A therapist?"

He hummed and gestured to behind her. "We should get you home."

"You're not going to tell me?" she asked, slightly offended. "It's a simple 'yes' or 'no' answer."

He glared, and she stepped back as she threw her hands up in defeat. "Okay, okay, you win. You don't reveal your secret identity to people; I got it."

"Good," he stated and walked over to the other end of the building.

"But I'm still going to try to figure it out," she blurted out as she followed him. "One day, I might be able to know who is under that cowl."

He smirked, making her step away from him, confused and afraid that she made him sort-of smile. "Good luck," he spoke in a tone that was deeper than his usual Batman voice.

She cleared her throat and put her hands in her pockets. "Thanks," she replied timidly, still afraid.

He stopped smirking and took out his grappling gun and held out his hand to her. "Ready?"

She nodded and walked over to him as he wrapped arm around her waist, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He fired the gun, and the line attached to the other building. They jumped off and let the line bring them down to the ground. Once Jackie felt her feet touch solid cement, she let go of him and walked over to the Batmobile where she waited for Batman to unlock the car doors. When he did, they both got in, and he drove her home.

"Mom, I'm home!" Jackie yelled as she climbed through her bedroom window with Batman behind her.

"Hi, sweetie," her mother yelled. "How was training?"

"Exhausting," she replied and sat down on her bed to start untying her boots.

"Did you eat?"

Jackie turned her head to the doorway and saw her mother sitting in a wheelchair. "No, Mom. I didn't."

Jennifer nodded and looked at Batman. "Hello, Batman."

"Ms. Morris," he greeted and nodded at her.

She smiled. "Would you like to stay for dinner?"

"No, but thank you for the invitation."

She nodded and looked at the teen. "What do you want to eat?"

"Mom, you shouldn't be working too hard; you just got out of the hospital yesterday," Jackie replied as she set her boots down by her nightstand and walked over to her. "I can make myself something to eat."

Her mom sighed. "The doctor said I was fine."

"Yes, but you still have broken ribs and a broken wrist; you should be lying down."

"I'm not going to let my injuries get the better of me," she replied and looked at Batman. "I want you to be honest with me because I know Jackie won't be; are you hurting her too much?"

"Mom," the teen groaned. "I'm fine; it's part of being a hero; I have to get used to getting hurt, like you said."

Jennifer sighed. "I know what I said, Jackie, but I want to make sure you're not doubling over in pain, like last time."

"Mom!" Jackie exclaimed in embarrassment and face-palmed.

"Last time?" Batman asked. "Last time, I had you stop a robbery in uniform."

"Uniform? I was wearing a jacket, jeans, and the spare Robin mask you're letting me use; that's not really a uniform."

"Why were you doubling over in pain?" he asked, changing the subject.

"I might have, accidentally, not paid attention to my surroundings and got hit in the head and stomach with a gun," she replied hesitantly.

He narrowed his eyes. "Where was I?"

"You were busy in the back," she replied and shrugged. "I'm fine now though."

"You should have told me; I wouldn't have had you practice your electricity afterwards."

"You didn't tell him?" Jennifer asked and glared. "Darn it, Jackie! How am I supposed to know that my baby girl is taking care of herself if she won't tell anyone that she's hurt?!"

Jackie flinched; her mother rarely ever yelled at her because she didn't want to sound like her ex-husband. "Mom, look," the teen spoke in a calming manner. "I'm fine."

"You could have gotten a concussion," Batman said.

"My mom already checked; I didn't have one," Jackie answered as she turned to look at him. "I can handle getting hit."

"I wouldn't have trained you so hard yesterday and today if you told me."

"Yeah, but I wanted to practice."

"Since when do you want to practice?"

"Fine," the blonde-haired teen exclaimed. "I just wanted to prove that I can handle pain. Heck, if I could take my dad's beatings in the past, I can take beatings from bad guys too."

Jennifer sighed. "Honey, you don't have to sound tough," she mumbled and grabbed her daughter's hand. "It's okay to tell someone your not well."

"I'm fine," she muttered in an irritated tone.

"Your mother's right, though," Batman stated. "You don't need to sound and act tough to prove to me that you can take pain; I know you're strong already, but you need to tell me, and your future Team members, when your hurt, so we can help you."

"Fine," she sighed. "Whatever."

He sighed. "Communication; it's very important between team members, and you need to learn that."

"Yeah, I know," she muttered.

He shook his head and turned to the window. "Get some rest; I'm planning on taking you to meet the Team in a few days."

Jackie's eyes widened. "A few days? But I've barely trained."

He walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I just want to introduce you to them, so you can see what they're like."

The seventeen year old nodded. "Okay," she said.

He nodded and walked over to the window. "Tomorrow, we meet at the same location for training."

"Got it."

Once he left, she looked over to her mother. "Are you hungry?" she asked.

Her mom shrugged her shoulders. "A little."

"How about I make some spaghetti?"

"Since when do you know how to make spaghetti?"

"I don't, but there are two microwavable spaghetti meals in the freezer that I can cook."

Jennifer rolled her eyes. "One of these days, I'm going to teach you how to cook."

"Sure, Mom," Jackie replied and walked over to her closet to pull out some pajamas. "Whatever you say."

"I'll teach you one day, Jackie."

"Mom, we're both too busy for that; you have your job at the hospital, and I'm either at work, training, or school when you're available."

"Right," she heard her mother mutter from outside her closet door.

Jackie grabbed a black pajama shirt with green silky shorts and walked out of her closet. She set her clothes down on her bed. "You okay, Mom?" she asked when she noticed her mother's saddened expression.

"Yes, dear," she replied and faked a smile as she looked at the teen. "I'm going to get started on our meals."

"Mom, I'll do it."

"Jackie, all I'm doing is putting two microwavable meals in the microwave!"

Jackie sighed. "Fine, just be careful."

"Don't worry, Jackie. The worst pain I can get from cooking the meals is a paper cut from the boxes."

The teen rolled her eyes as her mother wheeled out of the room and into the kitchen. Quickly, she took off her training clothes, took a shower, put on her pajamas, and walked over to the kitchen to join her mother.

Jackie walked in and sat down at the table, letting out a sigh while she did so. "I'm exhausted," she muttered and heard the microwave close.

"I bet you are," Jennifer replied and set down a plate of spaghetti in front of the teen. "You have school, training, and a job."

"How's Kyle?" The seventeen year old asked, changing the subject and starting to eat.

Her mom shrugged. "He's alright."

"And?" the teen asked, motioning for her to continue.

"There's no 'and'. He's just alright."

"Mom, you told me the date went really well. Hasn't he called you or something?"

Her mother smiled. "He sent me flowers."

"Really?" she asked, grinning. "That's so sweet."

"It is. He said that if I needed anything, all I had to do was call him."

"See? He likes you."

Jennifer rolled her eyes slightly. "I know, dear. Why don't you tell me about you? How's Dick?"

"Mom, I've only known him for a week."

"I know, but he sounds like a great boy," she replied and took a drink of her juice. "After all, he has my approval by what you've told me."

Jackie looked at her with confusion. "Approval for what?"

Her mom shrugged. "To take you out, of course."

"To take me out? Mom, he's like four years younger than me!"

"So?" she asked. "Your father's five years older than me."

"Stop calling him that," the teen muttered now looking down at her meal. "He's a poor excuse for a father."

Her mother sighed. "I know, and I'm sorry."

"I know," the blonde-haired teen replied. "I just don't like that I'm the daughter of that _monster_."

"If you weren't, I probably wouldn't of been blessed to be your mom," her mom whispered, grabbing her daughter's hand with her unbroken one.

The seventeen year old smiled gently. "I love you, Mom."

"I love you, too. Now finish eating; you have to be in bed soon, so you can get some sleep and pay attention at school tomorrow."

After Jackie finished eating, she headed over to her room and closed her bedroom door. She started walking over to her bed but stopped when she saw a rectangular black box on top of it, and a note attached to it. She carefully picked up the note and read,

 _Miss Morris,_

 _When you told me what you wanted your hero name to be, I had this outfit created based off of it. You'll no longer need Robin's spare mask when crime-fighting._

 _Batman._

She smiled and took off the lid. She lifted out of the box a black t-shirt with pieces of fabric cut out, shaping them to look like a sparks of electricity, black leather gloves, a leather jacket, a turquoise tank top, black leather pants, and black converse with turquoise colored laces. Then, at the bottom of the pile, was a simple black mask made out of the same material as Robin's masks, except the ends of it were more pointy.

"Awesome," she muttered, looking forward to trying it on.

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 **It's official! Jackie's joining the Team and on the path to becoming a hero! :)**

 **Please feel free to leave a review! Constructive Criticism is welcome! :)**


	2. Chapter 2: Bereft

**Thank you for your review, tedpierce18. :)**

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 **Also, I'm sorry if I got the time wrong, but I don't know what time Robin woke up in this episode, which I don't own. No hate reviews! :)**

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 **Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice! I only own my OC's! I don't own Jackie's superhero name though; a friend of mine came up with it; they gave me full permission to use it. All rights go to their respective owners!**

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Bialya

September 5th, 11:54 EEST.

Jackie groaned in pain as she sat up and reached up to her head to touch it in hopes that her migraine would calm down. "Where am I?" she thought as she slowly stood up and took in her surrounds. "A desert? How did I get here?"

She took a few steps before collapsing to her knees when a wave of nausea swept over her. "Why does my head hurt so badly?" she asked out loud before looking at her hands to see a pair of gloves covering them. "These aren't mine." She then looked at the rest of her outfit before muttering, "Neither are these."

She looked around again before hugging herself and standing up. "I need to get out of here and get back home." Her eyes widened. "Home. Mom. Where is she? Is she here too? Is she alright? I have to find her!"

Slowly, she started walking through the desert. "Mom," she called out telepathically in hopes that her mother would hear her. "Mom! Where are you? I swear if Dad's responsible for this, and he got out of prison and hurt you, I'm gonna-"

Her thoughts paused when she heard voices coming from a little ways away. She ducked down as a few men in military uniforms walked right passed her and continued heading West. "If only I could understand what they're saying," she thought as she came out of hiding and walked in the opposite direction to avoid confrontation. She hurried over to a giant mountain of rocks to give herself more cover and sat down. "What am I going to do?" she thought. "This has to be one of Dad's missions; why else would I be here?"

She sighed; out of all the terrible days that she's had, this had to be the worst. Why would Dad send her out here? Did he want her to prove that she could survive out here alone? Or did he just want to keep her at a far distance, so he could hurt Mom? She scowled; no way was she going to let him hurt her. "I have to get home," she muttered. "How? I don't have any kind of transportation, and I can't fly." Her eyes widened with hope. "Fly. If I try hard enough I might be able to fly."

She closed her eyes, trying to signal her flight to turn on. An overwhelming sense of her feet leaving the ground overcame her, and she opened her eyes to see that she was hovering a few feet above the sand. She grinned, but then frowned as she lost concentration and fell back down. She groaned in frustration. "This is going to take forever," she muttered.

When she was about to try again, someone tackled her to the ground and put a hand over her mouth. "Sh!" they spoke. "Don't move!"

Not wanting any trouble, she lay still, but she prepared herself to use her electricity if need be. She lifted her head slightly when she heard the sound of a few engines and saw a few army trucks passing by. Once they were gone, that person got off of her, and she took the chance and kicked him in the stomach, making him fall backwards. She glared and fired up her electricity as she sat on top of him.

Once she saw who he was and the 'R' on his chest, her glare softened, and she calmed her powers down. "Sorry," she apologized. "I didn't realize you were Batman's protégé until now."

He smirked. "It's alright, but could you get off of me now?" he asked.

Her eyes widened in realization. "Oh, right! Sorry!" She got up and held out a hand to him.

He took a hold of her hand and stood up. He brushed himself off and held out his hand. "Now that that's settled, why don't we introduce ourselves? I'm Robin, and you are?"

She glanced at his hand before looking up at him. "No offense, but I don't like sharing my name."

He looked at her skeptically and took his hand back. "You don't have to tell me your secret identity; you just have to tell me your hero, or villain name; even though you don't strike me as the villain type."

"What do you mean?" she asked as she rested her hands on her hips.

"You're wearing a mask."

Her eyes widened. "I'm wearing a mask?" she asked in a whisper and reached up to her eyes to feel a piece of fabric on her face. "Oh come on!"

He lifted his hands up in an attempt to calm her down. "Hey, it's okay-"

"No, it's not!" she exclaimed and started pacing. "None of this makes any sense! Why would my dad drop me off in a desert and make me wear a mask? Especially when you're here?!"

"Why would it matter if I was here?"

"I don't know," she muttered then gasped when a thought occurred to her. "Of course."

"What?" he asked. "Mind sharing?"

"He probably dropped me off here because he wants me to hurt you."

The Boy Wonder's eyes widened. "I don't think that's a good idea," he whispered. "Especially since we both don't know why we're here."

"You don't know why you're here?" she asked.

"No," he answered. "I woke up a few miles from here; I've been trying to piece together this puzzle ever since."

Jackie sighed. "I know for a fact my dad wouldn't be able to kidnap you without having to deal with the Batman first."

Robin smiled. "Why don't we figure out what's going on together?"

She nodded. "Okay, but you should know that I don't work well with others."

"Not a problem; I can do all the work," he replied and turned around to look past the rock wall.

"What do we do now, Bird Boy?" she asked, hearing the sound of another engine.

"Hide." He immediately grabbed her hand and started climbing the rock wall. She followed him, and he pulled her to the top. They both ducked down, then lifted their heads to see the truck diminishing from their sights.

"Who are they?" she asked, crossing her arms. "I swear, I've seen so many of them in the past hour."

"Those were Bialyan republican army uniforms," he muttered and clicked a button on his glove, making a computerized map pop up, "but what are Bialyan's doing in Bialya?! Okay, better question: what are we doing in Bialya?"

"Wait! Does your map say September on it?!" Jackie exclaimed, grabbing his gloved hand and bringing the map closer to her. "It should be March!"

He took his hand back and whispered, "Better radio Batman." Before he pressed his comm link, he stopped. "Or not," he spoke and looked at Jackie. "Can you jump down this cliff on your own?"

Jackie rolled her eyes. "Of course I can. I'm not some scared little girl, Genius," she replied and crossed her arms.

"Well, I can see someone woke up on the wrong side of the sand dune this morning."

She glared, but dropped it as she sighed and whispered, "I'm just worried about my mom; I don't know where she is or if she's okay."

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, when we figure out what's going on, I'll help you find your mom, okay?"

She smiled and nodded. "Then lets go, Genius."

He smiled back and walked over to the edge of the cliff. He looked back to her. "Ready to see something impressive?" he asked, smirking.

"I doubt it'll be as impressive as what I'm going to do," she teased, smirking back at him.

He grinned and jumped over the edge, doing a front flip and landing on his feet on the ground. "Very impressive, Boy Wonder," Jackie applauded and watched as he bowed.

"Thank you very much," he replied and looked up at her. "Your turn."

She nodded and walked over to the edge of the cliff. As soon as she did, she turned around. "Uh, be careful," Robin called out with concern evident in his voice.

"Relax; I've done this about a thousand times," she replied and stretched out her arms before jumping off and doing two back flips. She landed on her feet and looked over to Robin, who was applauding.

"Nice! Where did you learn to do that?" he asked and walked over to her.

"My dad taught me," she replied and glanced over to her left to see a black piece of fabric stuck on a rock. "What's that?"

Robin walked over to the piece of clothing and picked it up. He handed it to Jackie, who looked confused as she stared at it. "Superman's symbol? On a black shirt? Last time I checked he wore blue instead."

"I know," he replied and brought up his gloved computer again. "It looks like I put a GPS marker on my map; hopefully, we'll get our answers there."

She nodded and put the piece of fabric in her pocket. "Lead the way, Genius."

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3:36 EEST.

Jackie collapsed to the sand, finally out of breath. Boy Wonder noticed her not behind him and walked over to her. He knelt down. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," she panted out. "I just need to rest for a minute."

He nodded and sat down crossed-legged. "So, what do I call you? Obviously, you don't want to tell me your secret identity, and you don't even know where your clothes came from, but what can I call you?"

She shrugged. "Beats me."

"Well," he spoke and turned to face her. "There's sparks of electricity cut outs on your shirt, and you did threaten me with your powers, which I assume are electricity powers, how about 'Electricity Girl'?"

She snickered. "'Electricity Girl'? No thanks."

He hummed and tapped his chin as he narrowed his eyes. "'Sparkle'?"

"That's worse than the last," she giggled out.

He shrugged his shoulders. "How about 'Carter'?"

"Now you're not even trying."

"Well, what do _you_ want me to call you?"

She looked down at her hands then back at him, smiling. "How about Electra?"

"Electra?" he asked then grinned. "I like it!"

She nodded. "Okay, Genius. Ready to go?"

"If you're ready," he replied and stood up, holding out a hand to her. She grabbed a hold of it and let him help her up.

"I can probably run about an hour or two before needing another break."

He nodded. "No problem."

Both of them started off at a jog and soon they were both running as fast as they could go through the desert. "Hey," he called out to her, making her look at him. "Just let me know when you need another break."

"No problem," she panted out. "You too."

He smirked and ran ahead of her while looking at his map. "We should reach the marker tonight."

"Okay," she replied and took in a big breath of air, feeling her heart pounding super fast. "Do you have any idea why you put a marker there?"

"Nope," he replied. "Can't wait to find out though."

She smiled and caught up with him. "You know, you look a little young; how old are you?"

"So we're allowed to ask personal questions, huh?" he asked as he smirked at her.

"I'm just curious!"

"How about this? I'll answer your questions if you can answer mine."

"Fine; shoot."

"How old are you, Electra?"

"Seventeen; at least that's what the calendar says."

"When's your birthday?"

"March."

"What day?"

"When are you going to answer my personal questions?"

He let out a deep breath. "I'm thirteen. Your turn."

"No, I answered two questions of yours, now you answer two questions of mine."

He groaned. "Fine. What's your other question?"

"What school do you go to?"

"I'm not answering that."

"Why?"

"Because you could probably narrow down who I am."

Jackie rolled her eyes. "Only if we go to the same school, Genius."

"Ask a different question," he spoke, changing the subject.

"Okay," she replied and bit her lip as she tried thinking of something else. "Do you have any siblings?"

"Nothing family related."

"Oh come on! You've got to answer some of my questions!"

"Well, then ask something that's not too personal."

"Fine! What's your favorite food?"

"Personal!"

"You are impossible!"

"Thank you," he replied and smirked. "You seem to be losing a lot of breath there; need a break?"

"We've only been running for fifteen minutes since the last break; I'm fine!"

He shrugged. "Fine, then try and keep up," he commented and ran faster, making her run faster too.

After another few hours, they both stopped again when Jackie claimed she needed to sit down. "I'm so tired," she complained and fell on her side. "I need water."

Robin looked at her with sympathy and sat down. "I wish I had some, but I don't. Maybe you should stay here while I go check out the GPS marker."

"No," she replied and sat up. "I'm going with you; for all we know, my mom could be close to the marker, and I need to save her."

He sighed. "Alright, fine. Tell me when you're ready to leave."

"I'm ready now," she stated and stood up.

He stood up too. "It's barely been a minute! You should rest a little longer."

"The more time that passes, the more of a risk my mom isn't safe! Let's move!" she exclaimed and started running.

Robin caught up to her and brought up his gloved computer again. "We should only be two hours away; I want to take another break before we get there."

She scoffed. "Don't say that because of me; I'm fine."

"I'm not saying you're not; I'm saying I think we should save up our energy before we get there just so we're ready to fight if we have to."

"I guess that makes sense," she muttered and continued running alongside him.

They both kept silent for about ninety-five minutes into the run until Robin stopped Jackie and told her they needed to rest. She sat down in the sand and struggled to get her breath back. "My dad would call me a pathetic weakling if he saw me like this," she thought and watched Robin sit next to her.

"So?" he asked. "How are you feeling?"

"Weak," she replied and rubbed the back of her neck to try to loosen the sore muscles. "And sore."

He nodded. "Me too."

"I doubt it; you don't even look like you've broken a sweat."

He grinned. "Thanks, but I'm not as tough as I look."

"Neither am I, obviously," she replied, trying to make a joke out of it.

"Can I ask you something, Electra?" he asked as he frowned.

She nodded. "Go ahead."

He tilted his head. "You said earlier that you thought you were here because your dad wanted you to hurt me; why?"

"Oh," she muttered and looked down. "That's a bit personal."

"I'm pretty sure I have a right to know why you said that to me, especially since I would have been the one getting hurt."

She sighed. "My dad's like a mentor, like Batman is yours, except he's way more strict and abusive. He always told me that one day he was going to have me hurt either someone from the Justice League, or a protégé to a Justice League member, but I've always been against it and told him that I don't want to do that."

He looked at her with a saddened expression and grabbed her hand, causing her to look up at him. "After this, we'll find your mom, and Batman and I are going to get you away from your father."

She smiled. "Thanks, but I don't even know if he's responsible for this."

"What do you mean?" he asked curiously, letting go of her hand.

"Well, my dad is supposed to be in prison, so he couldn't be the cause of this," she replied then frowned and muttered, "Then again, I've underestimated him before."

"We'll figure it out. I promise."

She smiled at him. "Thanks. It's good to talk to someone about this."

He smiled. "No problem," he replied and stood up, holding out a hand to her. "Ready?"

She nodded and grabbed his hand. He pulled her up, and they both started running to the GPS marker.

He brought up his gloved computer again. "I wish I could remember why I put a GPS marker here," he commented. When they reached the destination, they both dropped to the ground and hid behind a big pile of sand after seeing a large black box. "Huh. Guessing that's why," he continued as he looked at her.

She shrugged and lifted herself slightly off the sand to look over at the box. "What is it?" she asked in a whisper. "I don't think I've ever seen one of those before."

He looked over the pile and narrowed his eyes. "You should wait here while I check it out," he commented.

Before he could go anywhere, she grabbed his arm, forcing him to look at her. "Not gonna happen. I didn't come all this way just to sit on the sidelines and watch."

"Fine, just follow my lead." He quickly jumped over the sand dune, and she followed suit.

Once they landed, men in Bialyan republican army uniforms stood up out of the sand and aimed their weapons at them. One of them shouted orders, and they started moving in on them. Robin dropped a smoke bomb, blocking Electra and him from the men's sights.

"Robin, what do we do?" she asked and looked over to see him gone. She narrowed her eyes. "And I thought I was a bad team player."

She looked behind her to see one of the military men come into her view, and she fired up her electricity and shot him in the back. He screamed in surprise and fell down unconscious.

"Yes!" she exclaimed, feeling victorious, then fell down when someone hit her from behind. She kicked him from under his feet and punched him in the face, knocking him out.

When the smoke cleared, she heard guns firing and felt a gust of wind rush past her. Suddenly, the guns stopped firing, and they were dropped right next to her. She looked up to see another boy with red hair grinning down at her. He then looked up and ran forward, attacking the men.

"Whoa," she commented and smiled. She got up and fired up her electricity as she ran over to join Robin and the new kid in the fight.

She shot down two more men and was about to shoot a third until he was pushed backwards and fell. She arched an eyebrow in confusion as she looked towards Robin to see his opponents doing the same thing. He looked up, and she followed his gaze and gasped when she saw a green-skinned girl come out of camouflage. Then, she heard an arrow being fired and looked behind her to see another girl with blonde hair walking towards them with a bow in her hand.

"KF! Man it's good to see a familiar face!" Robin exclaimed as he walked over to 'KF'.

"Hey, Rob," KF replied. "Memory loss?"

"Six months!"

"Whose she?" KF asked after noticing Jackie and pointed at her.

Robin looked over at Electra and gestured for her to come over. She walked over to them and stood next to the Boy Wonder. "This is Electra. Electra, this KF, or Kid Flash, but I don't know who they are," he explained and pointed at the two other girls. "Let's hogtie these creeps and compare notes."

After they finished tying up the armed men and explained things, Robin asked, "So we're a team?"

"The five of us, and Superboy," Miss Martian replied.

"Superboy?" Jackie asked and took out the piece of fabric from her pocket. "Is this his?"

She handed the martian the fabric. "Yes," Miss Martian exclaimed, then asked, "Did you see him?"

"I think we did," Artemis stated.

"Feral boy? Some teammate; he attacked us," Kid Flash commented.

"He didn't know who we are," Artemis defended. "I don't know who we are!"

"I remember Batman ordering radio silence; our team must work for him!" Robin stated.

Kid Flash smirked. "How do you know we don't work for my mentor?" he retorted and touched the logo on his chest. His uniform changed from a dark gray and red to yellow and red. He seemed surprised and touched it again, making his uniform change back to dark gray and red. "This is so cool!"

As he kept touching his logo, Artemis and Robin touched theirs but nothing happened. Even Jackie touched the sparks on her outfit to see if it would change colors. "We look ridiculous!" Artemis stated and rested her hands on her hips.

"I feel ridiculous; I don't even know how I got in these clothes," Jackie stated.

"Same here," Artemis commented then looked to Kid Flash, who was still pressing his logo. "Quit touching yourself!"

"How are we going to get our memories back?" Jackie asked, gaining everyone's attention.

Suddenly, the desert around Jackie disappeared, and she found herself in a room where many videos, or something like that, of her and her 'teammates' were playing on the purple crystal-like walls. She looked over to see the others standing next to her.

"What is this place?" she asked them, and they only shrugged in reply.

"I brought you into my mind to share what I've remembered so far," Miss Martian stated as she appeared right in front of them. "But I need your help; together our broken memories can form a whole if you open your minds to mine."

"You want to paw through our private thoughts?!" Artemis accused, crossing her arms.

"Not gonna happen!" Electra exclaimed, crossing her arms too.

"I have no wish to intrude, but-" Miss Martian began.

"You need to hack into our minds to figure out what happened to us; got it, go!" Robin interrupted.

Jackie looked at Robin with disbelief. "You're going to let her go through your thoughts?" she asked.

"It's the only way to figure out what's going on," Robin explained as he looked at her. "We might even find out where your mom is."

She sighed; he was right; she wanted to know if her mom was okay or not, and where to find her. "Okay," she agreed reluctantly. "But only what happened to us during those six months; that's it."

"My brain's all yours. Try not to let it's brilliance overwhelm you," Wally flirted.

"Or underwhelm you," Robin retorted with a smirk on his face. "Hey, why isn't anyone ever just whelmed?"

Artemis still looked unsure about the situation, so Wally grabbed her hand and held it, giving her a reassuring smile. "Last six months only, and only what you need," she said.

Miss Martian nodded and closed her eyes as she lifted up her hands. Then, before anyone could change their minds, four hands came out of the martian and grabbed each of their heads, making them close their eyes as memories of the last six months flooded their thoughts.

* * *

(Flashback)

Jackie opened her eyes after walking through the Zeta-Tubes; the light was so bright that she couldn't stare at it for so long. She then quickly did a mental check in her mind as she made sure every body part was where it was supposed to be. Relieved that everything was where it belonged, she looked forward to see a group of teenage kids that she instantly recognized and felt the fear increase in her mind; ever since Batman came by earlier this afternoon to tell her that today was the day she got to meet the Team, she's been freaking out; she even zoned out of reality a few times when he was talking to her.

Suddenly, a gust of wind flew past her, and she felt an arm wrap around her shoulders. She looked over to see Kid Flash standing next to her and flashing her a flirty smile. "Hey, babe," he greeted. "What's your name? I'm Kid Flash, but you can call me Wally."

"It's nice to meet you, Wally," Jackie replied and smiled. "I'm Electra."

He grinned at her, making her feel really uncomfortable. "Go easy on the new girl, KF," Robin warned as he walked up to the two with the rest of the Team following behind.

"I'm just being nice to her," KF claimed, then looked at her with a questioning look. "You are joining the Team, right?"

Jackie nodded and broke out of Wally's hold on her as she took a step or two away from him. "Yep, I'm your new teammate," she replied.

"I'm M'gann M'orrz, but my Earth name is Megan. It's so nice to meet you," M'gann greeted as she smiled.

"It's nice to meet you all, too," Jackie spoke and smiled.

"Nice mask," Robin complimented as he smirked. "It looks good on you."

Absentmindedly, Jackie reached up to touch the thin black material to make sure it was still covering her eyes. "Thanks, Robin," she timidly replied and blushed as she let her arm fall to her side as she looked over to Batman.

"I'm sure you know the names of the other Team members?" he asked.

Jackie nodded, recalling that Batman told her what she needed to know about each of her new teammates. "Kid Flash, Artemis, Robin, Aqualad, Miss Martian, and Superboy," she stated as she went from the right to the left.

"Actually," Aqualad spoke up, "My name is Kaldur'ahm, but my friends call me Kaldur."

The new girl's eyes widened; did he just give her, a total stranger, permission to call him Kaldur; did he trust her already?

"Aqualad is the Team's leader," Batman informed, and Jackie nodded.

"Understood," she replied as she smiled at Kaldur, who smiled back.

"Team," Batman spoke, gaining their attention. "You have a new mission."

After Batman finished explaining the mission, he stated, "Electra will be going with you."

Jackie's eyes widened. He said this was just a meet-and-greet! She wasn't supposed to join the Team on any missions yet! When Batman dismissed the Team, she stayed behind as they started leaving the room; she needed to talk him.

"Yes, Electra?" Batman asked, turning to look at her.

"I thought you said this was a meet-and-greet! You didn't say I would actually be joining them on a mission," she stated, clearly upset about this.

"You're ready."

"I've been training for a week not a whole year!"

"Electra, I know you're capable of taking care of yourself out in the field. I also know that you need to learn to trust your new teammates, and this mission will help with that."

"What if it doesn't? What if I totally mess up?"

"If you keep telling yourself that, you will."

She sighed. "What exactly am I supposed to do on the mission?"

"Follow Aqualad's orders; he'll tell you to do something when he needs it done."

She nodded.

"Hey!"

Jackie and Batman looked over to see Robin on the other side of the room. "You coming or not, Electra?" he asked.

She smiled and walked over to the Boy Wonder, who grinned at her. "Come on!" he exclaimed and grabbed her wrist, pulling her with him to run.

Then, her thoughts suddenly flashed to another memory, one where she was standing next to Kid Flash and Robin, who was working on the strange black box, or the device, they brought with them.

"I'll check it out in camouflage mode," Miss Martian suggested.

"Good idea; go," Aqualad stated.

"Be careful," Superboy commented with concern.

"And maintain telepathic contact," Aqualad continued.

"I will, Aqualad," Miss Martian assured.

Once the martian left, Jackie knelt down next to Robin. "Need any help?" she asked.

He looked at her curiously. "You know how to get this device running?"

"I might know a few tricks, but then again, I might not."

He smirked. "I'll let you know if I need you."

She nodded and walked over to Aqualad. "Is there anything you want me to do?" she asked him.

"No," the Atlantean replied, looking at her. "Not yet."

(End of Flashback)

* * *

"Aqualad!" she shouted in unison with the others.

"Where is he?" Robin asked. "What happened next?"

"I don't know," Miss Martian claimed. "That's the last thing I - we - remember."

"We landed twenty-four hours ago," Kid Flash stated after letting go of Artemis's hand. "If Kaldur's been wandering the desert that long, well, that's not good for a guy with gills."

"Now that I know to look for him," Robin stated and pulled up his glove computer. "He's close, but he's not moving."

"Then let's go!" Kid Flash exclaimed and ran ahead of the other members.

Jackie groaned. "More running. Awesome," she sarcastically thought as she raced to keep up with the others.

"Electra?" Robin asked, running next to her. "About earlier, and you're dad-"

"I don't think now is the time to talk about it," Electra interrupted. "We need to take care of Aqualad."

He nodded and grabbed her hand, pulling her with him to catch both of them up. Soon, they found Aqualad, and Miss Martian sat down beside him, holding him, as he spoke a language Jackie didn't understand. "I can't restore his memories in this condition," M'gann stated.

"He needs immediate rehydration," Robin stated the obvious. "Call the Bio-Ship."

"It's out of range," M'gann responded and turned to look at Kid Flash. "But you can get him there fast."

"He's too heavy, and I'm too low on fuel. Right now, I couldn't even carry her," Kid Flash explained, and he pointed at Artemis, who scoffed and hit Wally's hand away.

"Why not just levitate him back?" Artemis asked Miss Martian.

"I can't. I have to find Superboy," M'gann explained, laying Aqualad back on the ground and stood up. "Six months ago, he didn't exist. He has no memories; just animal impulse. I'm the only one who can help him."

"Superboy's indestructible; just ask those tanks! It's Aqualad who needs your help right now," Wally stated.

Miss Martian suddenly clutched her head appearing to be in pain. Jackie touched her shoulder. "M'gann, you okay?" she asked.

"No!" Megan shouted, making Jackie step back in surprise. "Superboy's in pain!"

"M'gann, wait!" Artemis called out as the martian flew away from them.

"We still don't know what erased our memories!" Robin shouted. "It could happen again!"

"Please! Come back!" Jackie yelled out, hoping M'gann would hear her.

After a minute, Kid Flash stated, "Okay, well, I don't think she's coming back any time soon."

"We need to get Aqualad to the Bio-Ship," Electra commented. "Robin, do you think you could carry him?"

The Boy Wonder shook his head. "No, I don't think I could," he replied.

"Great," Jackie mumbled. "What do we do then?"

"Wait!" Robin exclaimed and pointed at Electra. "You can fly! I saw you earlier!"

"You can?" Kid Flash asked.

Jackie hugged herself and looked away. "Yes, but I'm not in control, and I'm afraid of heights," she replied.

"You're afraid of heights?" KF questioned. "And you can fly? Man that's messed up."

"No kidding," Electra muttered.

"Well, why don't you try getting in control and stop being so afraid because we need to get Aqualad some water," Artemis spoke and crossed her arms.

"It's not that easy," Jackie hissed. "I can barely pick my feet off the ground without freaking out."

"Do you think you could try again?" Robin asked and placed a hand on her shoulder. "For Aqualad?"

Electra sighed in defeat and nodded. "Fine, but even if I can fly, I doubt I have the strength to carry him."

"We'll think about that once you get in control," KF said.

Electra nodded one last time before closing her eyes and trying to turn her flight powers on. "Think calm thoughts," she thought. "Be calm." She felt herself being lifted off the ground but didn't open her eyes, so she could concentrate more and not freak out.

"Whoa," she heard KF mutter. "She's going pretty high."

She heard him grimace in pain. "Shut up, KF! Let her concentrate," Robin muttered in anger.

Finally, when she felt like she had a good hold, she opened her eyes to see that she was about fifteen feet off the ground! Her head started spinning a bit, and she felt the urge to throw up as she looked down. "O-Okay," she stuttered. "I-I think I can d-do it."

"Before we give you Aqualad," Robin shouted to her. "Go left, right, down, then up again, so we know you're in complete control."

Electra whimpered and looked to her left. "I'll try," she muttered. Slowly, she moved to the left.

"Good job, Electra!" Robin shouted. "Now go right and try to go a little faster this time!"

She nodded and flew to the right faster than she did the left. Before she stopped, she fell a little, but she quickly caught herself and let out a sigh of relief.

"Awesome!" Robin shouted again as he grinned at her. "You seem to be getting the hang of this! Try going down! Don't fall; fly down!"

"Go faster too!" Artemis shouted, standing next to Robin.

"Give her some encouragement, guys," Jackie heard Robin say to KF and Artemis.

"You can do it, Electra!" KF encouraged.

"Come on, Electra! You know you got this!" Artemis shouted.

Electra whimpered and looked down, immediately regretting it afterwards. "I don't think I can fly down!" she shouted back. "I can only fall!"

"Of course you can! You just have to focus!" Robin shouted.

"Easier said than done, Genius!"

Robin smirked. "You're still going to call me Genius? Alright; then that means I get to call you Sparkle, Sparkle!"

Jackie smiled and giggled. "No, it doesn't!"

"Yes, it does!"

She crossed her arms and felt herself levitating down. "Whoa," she muttered then started falling. "Control! Control! Control!" she screamed and stopped where she was to keep herself there.

"Come on, Sparkle!" Robin shouted. "I know you can do it! We just saw you levitate downwards!"

"Quit calling me Sparkle!"

"Concentrate, Sparkle!"

She sighed and smirked at him. "Fine, _Genius_! Just don't tell me if I'm moving too slow!"

"Got it!"

She exhaled deeply and tried her hardest to concentrate. Slowly, she started moving downwards. After a few minutes, she increased her speed and was now two feet off the ground. She stopped and looked at Robin, who was grinning at her.

"Great job, Electra!" he congratulated, then pointed up. "Now go back up."

She frowned at him. "Do I have to?" she asked, afraid to fall at such a tall height.

He nodded. "Yep," he replied. "Time to go back up, then left, right, and come back down; only this time you need to go faster."

She sighed in defeat and despair. "I'll try my hardest," she muttered and started flying upwards; only this time she went a bit faster.

After repeating her flying pattern six times, she got the hang of it and was able to fly faster than she thought she could. She grinned and flew circles around the others as she laughed. "This is awesome! I can't believe I'm doing this!" she exclaimed and grabbed Robin's cape and flew around him, making him spin. She let go and planted her feet on the ground.

Robin stopped spinning and fixed his cape as he smirked at her. "See? I told you you could do it, Sparkle," he stated.

She rolled her eyes playfully and grinned. "Whatever, Genius," she replied then looked at Aqualad with worry. "Now for the test to see if I can lift him."

She floated a few feet off the ground and wrapped her arms around her leader's torso. "Someone grab his legs to make it easier for me," she ordered and went up a little.

Kid Flash and Artemis each grabbed one of Aqualad's legs and helped lift him in the air. "Keep a tight hold!" Robin ordered. "Tell them when to let go!"

She nodded and went a little higher, testing her strength and flight. "Let go! I think I got him!"

"Are you sure?" Kid Flash asked, now standing on his toes. "Do you think you could carry him to the Bio-Ship?"

Electra nodded again. "I can do this!"

KF and Artemis shared a look before nodding and letting go of Kaldur. Immediately, Jackie felt herself moving down from how heavy her leader was, but she regained control and started moving more upwards.

"I'm moving out," she stated. "I may be a little slow, but I'll get him there before you guys can!"

Robin nodded. "Good luck, Electra! We'll meet you there!" he shouted.

She nodded and started flying towards the Bio-Ship, careful not to drop Kaldur. After thirty minutes of flying, she was starting to get really tired and felt herself getting sweaty from how hot she was feeling. "Come on, Jackie," she thought. "You have to do this."

Aqualad started saying something incoherent to her and moved a little, starting to slip from Electra's grasp. "No, Kaldur'ahm!" Jackie shouted and held onto him tighter. "Don't do anything! Please! I'm trying my hardest to keep flying here, but I need you to stay still, so I can do it!"

He muttered something and stayed still, making her let out a breath of relief. "Thank you, Kaldur'ahm. Now stay like that. We're almost to the Bio-Ship," she whispered.

After another hour or so, she made it to the ship and flew inside of it. She placed Aqualad down on a bed and, remembering what her mother taught her, inserted an IV in his arm. Once he was secure and receiving fluids, she collapsed on the ground and started taking in deep breaths.

"Good job, Electra," Jackie muttered. "You did it."

After forty-five minutes, the rest of the Team showed up and found Jackie lying on the floor looking exhausted and dehydrated. "Electra," Robin called out to her in concern and sat next to her. He placed a hand on her forehead and noticed her temperature was a little higher than average.

"Robin," Jackie muttered. "I'll be fine; I just need to rest for a few minutes."

"Yeah, but not on the floor," he replied and turned to Kid Flash. "Help me move her to a bed."

Kid Flash nodded and helped Robin pick her up and place her on a bed above Kaldur's. Robin stuck an IV in her arm, revealing a few of her scars, and placed a wet cold wash cloth on her forehead. "You were great, Sparkle," he whispered. "You saved Kaldur and conquered your fear of heights."

She nodded and looked to see Artemis and Kid Flash on the other side of the room. She looked back at the Boy Wonder. "Genius, about earlier with my dad-" she began.

"He's not responsible for this," Robin interrupted in a whisper. "He's still in prison, you assume, and your mom is safe."

"Yeah," she whispered. "You're really good at figuring these kind of things out."

He smiled. "If you need to talk about it with someone, just let me know."

She nodded and closed her eyes. "Alright, Genius."

"We should be on our way home as soon as Miss Martian and Superboy arrive."

"Okay. Thanks for listening."

"No problem, Jackie."

She opened her eyes and stared at him wide-eyed. "H-How did you-"

"I kind of figured," he replied and smirked. "Also, I saw the costume and the note Batman was going to give you before he dropped it off at your place."

"Oh," she muttered. "Are you going to tell-"

"The others?" Robin asked, finishing for her and shook his head. "That's not my secret to tell."

She smiled weakly. "Thanks, Genius."

He nodded and stayed with her until it was time to leave.

Once Miss Martian and Superboy arrived with a big metallic ball that was alive and extraterrestrial, whom Superboy called Sphere, they explained that a man named Psimon had erased their memories, so they couldn't interfere with his and the Bialyn's plans to study Sphere. They headed home immediately after Kaldur's memory was recovered. Robin offered to help Jackie get home, but she declined, claiming she was going to be alright.

"Electra!" Batman's voice rang out from behind her as she was about to start up the Zeta-Beam.

She turned to see him walking over to her, unreadable as usual. She looked at Robin, who was still standing next to her. He gave her a reassuring smile and placed a hand on her shoulder. She smiled back and faced Batman, who now stood in front of her.

"Robin told me what happened," Batman began. "You flew Aqualad to the Bio-Ship, completely making yourself visible to anyone that looked up, and risked dropping him or losing control of your powers at such a tall height. Not to mention, you also risked hurting yourself in order to save his life."

Jackie looked down. "I know, but-" she began, wanting to defend herself.

"Good job," he interrupted.

She looked back up at him in surprise. "W-What?"

"You _flew_. You were able to concentrate and not let fear control your powers; because of that, Aqualad is going to recover."

She smiled. "So I did okay?"

"You did better than I expected," he answered. "Go home and get some rest."

She nodded and watched as he left. "Good job, Sparkle," Robin spoke, grinning at her. "You did good."

"Yeah. I guess I did."

"I can still take you home."

"No," she replied. "You need to rest too. Besides, the Zeta-Tube in Gotham is pretty close to my apartment."

He nodded. "Okay, but be careful."

"Don't worry about me, Genius; I'm going to be fine," she replied and started up the Zeta-Beam. Before it sent her home, she looked back at Robin and waved to him. He waved back and watched as she left.

Jackie exited the phone booth and took off her mask and zipped up her leather jacket to hide the electricity sparks, making it look like she was wearing civilian clothes. She put her mask in her pocket and walked home, relieved that the day was finally over. She walked into her apartment, only to be greeted by her mother, who was still awake and watching the door.

"Jackie," her mother spoke in concern. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"Mom," Jackie groaned. "I'm fine; I'm just a little tired. I was working on a mission with my new Team."

"I know you were on a mission; Batman came over and told me," her mother spoke and wheeled over to her. "I just didn't know if you were alright."

The teen knelt in front of her mom and placed a hand on her hand. "Don't worry, Mom; I'm fine."

Jennifer breathed out a sigh of relief. "Alright," she breathed out. "Why don't you get some rest. If you need me, I'll be in my room."

"Okay, Mom."

Her mother nodded and wheeled over to her bedroom. Jackie sighed and walked over to hers. She closed the door behind her and leaned back onto it.

"You look tired."

The seventeen year old jumped and grabbed a nearby knife she kept hidden in her room and aimed it towards the person hiding in the shadows.

"Easy, Jackie," they spoke and walked out of the shadows. Her eyes widened when she saw her old friend standing there.

"Cheshire?!" she exclaimed in alarm, still aiming the knife at her.

"Oh come on," Cheshire mused. "We're friends; you shouldn't be wanting to aim that knife at me."

"You're unpredictable," she replied and glared. "For all I know my father could have sent you here to threaten me to do his dirty work."

Cheshire chuckled and took off her mask. "True, but I didn't come here to threaten you; I came here to talk."

"About what?" Jackie asked, gripping the knife.

Jade set down her mask and walked over to her. Jackie took a few steps back, holding the knife in a way to where she would throw it if she needed to. "Throw it," Jade ordered. "Or I take it from you."

The blonde-haired girl sighed and let her knife fall to her side. "I don't throw knives anymore, Jade."

"You might one day," Jade mused and took the knife from Jackie. "We need to talk about your involvement with the Team."

"Why does it matter to you?" Jackie questioned, resting her hands on her hips. "How did you even know I was on the Team?"

"I saw you train with Batman and overheard a few of your conversations," Jade explained. "Also, it matters because I'm your _friend_ , Jackie. I don't want you to get hurt."

The seventeen year old sighed and walked over to her bed to sit down. "Why does everyone believe I'm going to get hurt?" she muttered. "I'm fine; I can handle it."

"You need to reconsider; you're fighting the wrong side."

"The wrong side? I'd rather fight for the Justice League than my dad!"

Cheshire set the knife down and sat down on the bed next to Jackie. "I know, and I respect that, but if your dad finds out what you've been doing, he's going to come after you."

"He won't find me," she muttered and started untying her shoes. "My mom and I changed our last names and moved far away from California."

"Jackie, if I found you, what makes you think he won't?"

The blonde-haired teen stopped untying her shoes as her face fell. "Oh my gosh," she muttered. "You're right; he could find me here."

Jade nodded and looked at her with sympathy. "He already has some people looking for you; when one of them finds you, they'll report what they've learned about you to him."

"Are you one of them?"

The trained assassin looked down. "I did receive an order to look for you, but I'm not going to report that I found you."

Jackie smiled. "Thanks, Cheshire."

The assassin nodded and stood up. "Be on the lookout for these guys; they're just as skilled as I am," she warned then scoffed and rested her hands on her hips. "Even my dad is looking for you."

"Wonderful," she replied sarcastically. "He's going to be so easy to convince to not report me to my dad."

Jade rested a hand on her shoulder. "I've been able to lead him onto the wrong path, but I don't think I can keep it up for much longer."

Jackie nodded. "Thanks. I'll be on the lookout."

Jade nodded and walked back over to her mask then put it on. "Good luck, Jackie."

"You too, Cheshire."

Cheshire nodded one last time and jumped out of the window. After Jackie closed and locked the window, she collapsed onto her bed as she thought about her father.

* * *

 **Wow this took me a while to write! I hope you guys liked it! Jackie's first mission definitely had its ups and downs, but it seems that she pulled through in the end. It also looks like her father is looking for her to know what she's been doing all this time.**

 **Please feel free to leave a review! Constructive criticism is welcome! :)**


	3. Chapter 3: Too much to handle?

**Thank you for your review, Angel Ruth. I'm glad you like my story. :)**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice! I only own my OC's! My friend owns Jackie's hero name; they gave me full permission to use it. All rights go to their respective owners!**

* * *

Gotham City

September 6th, 4:06 pm.

"Mom, I'm home!" Jackie yelled as she walked through the front door and dropped her backpack on the floor. "But I've got to get dressed for work and head over as soon as possible or I'll be late!"

"That's actually what we wanted to talk to you about, sweetie," her mother replied, and the teen turned around to see Batman and Jennifer coming out from the kitchen.

"Hey, Bats," Jackie greeted and smiled warmly at him. "I'm honestly surprised to see you here; I thought you would stop coming over since you wanted me to train with the Team from now on."

"I do, but I needed to speak to you and your mother concerning your job," he replied.

"What about it?" she asked, crossing her arms. "I like working there."

Batman and Jennifer shared a glance before looking back at her. "You have to quit," he stated.

"What?!" the teen exclaimed. "Why?!"

"You're letting your job get in the way of your training and school."

"Batman's right, honey," her mom defended. "This is all too much for you; I know because I called the school and asked how you were doing; you have D's in four of your classes, Jackie!"

The teen rolled her eyes. "I'll raise them."

"If you study," Batman commented. "Which you don't have time for anymore."

Jackie sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look, I know my grades are slipping, but I'll raise them," she assured and looked at Batman. "But I don't see why this concerns you."

"It concerns me because you've missed training and therapy with Black Canary today, and I don't want that happening anymore in the future," he replied and narrowed his eyes. "You need to quit your job."

"This is the only job that I actually like," she retorted.

"School, therapy, and training are more important than it."

"My job is equally important; it helps us pay the bills."

"Honey, you shouldn't worry about the bills," Jennifer stated. "I'm the one that should be paying them."

"Mom, you've been in a wheelchair for a little over a week. Who knows how much longer we have to wait until you're able to go back to work," Jackie retorted.

Jennifer sighed and rested her head in her hand. "Sweetie, I know you're doing this because you're concerned about the bills, but this Team and school should be your main priorities."

"They are my main priorities," Jackie replied, irritated and annoyed. "But my job is too."

"Then you need to figure out what you want to do," Batman sternly spoke. "Either you quit your job, or leave the Team."

The blonde-haired girl glared and rolled her eyes. "Fine. Whatever."

Batman glared at the teen before turning to Jennifer. "Thank you for the cookies, Ms. Morris, and your company while I waited for your daughter to come home."

"Of course," her mother replied and smiled. "You're welcome back here anytime."

He nodded and walked back over to the window in the kitchen, leaving.

Once he was gone, Jackie walked into her room and slipped on her waitress uniform, which consisted of a brown button-up dress shirt, a black polyester pencil skirt, and a pair of black flats. She pulled her hair up into a high bun and applied a little bit of mascara to make her eyes pop a little.

"Jackie," her mother spoke from behind her. "I really think you should quit your job."

"Mom," the teen groaned and turned to look at her. "I'm not going to quit; we need the money."

Jennifer sighed again. "Just think about it, alright?"

"I won't need to," she replied and walked over to the front door. "I already made up my mind."

"But-"

"We need the money," she repeated and took out her car keys and license from her backpack. "So we can continue living here."

Before her mother could say anything more, the seventeen year old teen walked out the door and closed it. She sighed deeply and hurried downstairs to her car. Once seated, she drove over to her workplace, "James Cliff's Steakhouse."

She parked and quickly walked in, smelling the mouthwatering steak cooking in the back. She grabbed her nearby black apron and tied it around her waist.

"Jackie!"

She looked up to see her boss walking up to her, smiling. "Hi, Mr. Robinson. Look, I know I'm late, but-"

"Late?" he questioned in disbelief and grinned. "What are you talking about? You're five minutes early!"

"Oh," she muttered and smiled. "I didn't realize."

He laughed and gestured for her to follow him. "Listen," he replied, slightly yelling since both of them could hardly hear over the loud customers. "It seems tonight's one of our busy nights again. I told all the servers already to help each other as much as they can, and I'm telling you to do the same."

"Of course."

He nodded. "I'm going to find Mark; he and James are serving a large party right now, and I need to make sure they're doing all right."

"Alright. I'm going to wash my hands really quick and start serving my tables and others if need be."

He nodded again and hurried over to the other side of the restaurant. Jackie walked into the bathroom, washed her hands, and quickly walked over to Emma, who was serving an elderly couple.

"Need any help?" Jackie asked, placing a hand on Emma's shoulder.

"I don't think so, but I'll let you know if I do," the fellow coworker replied as she wrote down orders.

The teen nodded and took out a small notebook and pen from her apron pocket as she started labeling her tables. She walked over to her first one and smiled at a man, who looked to be in his mid-twenties.

"Hi, welcome to James Cliff's Steakhouse. I'm Jackie, and I'll be your server for today. What would you like to drink today, sir?"

"Do you serve lemonade?" he asked.

"Yes, we do."

"I'll have a glass of lemonade."

"Would you like an appetizer too?"

"No thank you."

She nodded. "I'll be right back with your lemonade, sir."

* * *

7:39 pm.

Jackie rested her elbows on the bathroom's counter and exhaled deeply. She felt her limbs tiring from having to carry so much food and felt like she was going to collapse in pure exhaustion any second. She looked up at the mirror to see some pieces of her hair was coming out, and her makeup was wearing off. She sighed and redid her hair, so she could look presentable for the dinner rush hour.

The bathroom door opened and another coworker walked in. "Hey, Jackie," Mary, a college student, greeted and walked over to stand next to her as she looked in the mirror.

"Hey, Mary," Jackie replied and began washing her hands. "I'm not looking forward to rush hour."

"Neither am I. Listen, Mr. Robinson has me in charge of another large party that's coming in tonight; could you-"

"Serve your tables?" the teen asked and looked over at Mary.

Mary nodded and looked at her with sympathy. "I know it's a lot-" she began.

"I got it."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I can handle it."

Mary let out a sigh of relief and smiled. "Thanks, Jackie. I owe you one."

"No, you don't. Our boss asked us to help each other out, remember?"

"Yeah," her coworker replied and walked over to a bathroom stall. "Thanks again."

"No problem," Jackie responded and walked out of the bathroom.

She started labeling all of Mary's tables and walked over to the first one. "Hi, welcome to James Cliff's Steakhouse. I'm Jackie, and I'll be your server for today. What can I get you to drink?" she asked, not looking up from her notebook as she continued labeling.

"I'll have a glass of water with lemon," a man with a slightly deep voice replied.

"And I'll have a 'I didn't know you worked here, Jackie,' drink," a boy answered.

She started writing it down until she stopped after realizing what the boy said and looked up to see Dick Grayson sitting in the booth, smiling. She looked right across from him to see a man, who Jackie guessed, was Dick's foster father, dressed in a formal suit and had black hair.

"Dick?" she asked, astonished that he was here. "What are the odds of seeing you here?"

"And you serving our table?" he asked and smirked. "How come you never told me you work here?"

"You never asked," she replied and looked at the man, who smiled at her. "I take it you're-"

"Bruce," the man introduced. "Bruce Wayne. I'm Dick's foster father."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Jackie. Dick's told me a lot about you."

"Really?" she asked and raised a curious brow at the thirteen year old, who shrugged. "Like what?"

"I just told him you're an interesting girl," Dick mentioned and sat back in his seat.

She smirked. "Really? What's so interesting about me, Dick?"

His eyes widened, and he cleared his throat. "Well, your drawings are pretty interesting."

"Yes, but you said that I was an interesting girl; not my drawings."

He shifted and looked over at Bruce, who smirked and shrugged. "Well," the boy replied. "You're interesting because you're mysterious, and I like to see that in people."

She hummed and tapped her pen on her notebook. "What can I get you, Dick?"

The thirteen year old let out a breath of relief and looked over his menu. "I'll take a coke, please."

She smiled and wrote it down. "Would you be interested in any appetizers?"

"No, but thank you," Bruce replied.

"Sure thing, Mr. Wayne," she replied and looked at them. "I'll be back with your water with lemon, and his coke."

They both nodded, and Jackie walked over to the soda fountains. She shook her head and smiled as she put ice in two cups and filled one with coke while she cut up a lemon and put water in the other. What were the odds of meeting Dick and his father while she was working? She carried their drinks over and set them down on the table, pulling out two straws from her apron and setting those on the table too.

"Alright, do you need more time to decide on what you want?" she asked.

"A few more minutes would be nice," Bruce replied.

She nodded and walked away to start serving the other tables she needed to serve.

After two hours, Jackie walked back over to Dick and Bruce's table to help the busboy clean it up since a fellow server told her the duo paid for their meals and left. She started picking up their plates when she saw a napkin with scribbles all over it in Dick's seat. She set the plates down and picked it up, noticing that it was a note from him, which read,

 _Hey Jackie,_

 _I'm so glad you were our server! You're awesome at your job! You should have told me you worked here; I would have stopped by to see you if I knew._

 _Also, we left your tip under the seat; we didn't want anyone to steal it from you. No matter what you say or do we're not taking it back so don't even think about trying to give it back._

 _See you soon,_

 _Dick._

The teen tilted her head curiously and 'accidentally' dropped a fork. She bent down and reached under the table. Once her fingers touched something soft, she pulled it out and gasped as she held a big wad of cash in her hand. Her jaw dropped, and she looked around to make sure no one saw it and put it in her apron. She stood up, picking up the fork, and carried the plates and cups to the kitchen. She set them in the sink for the busboy, so he could put them in the dishwasher, and left work early, telling her boss she wasn't feeling so well.

She drove home, thinking as to why Dick and Bruce had to leave such a generous tip. She didn't think she was that great of a server, but they thought otherwise. She scoffed suddenly when another thought occurred to her; Dick probably asked Bruce to leave a generous tip since he thought they were friends. She rolled her eyes and parked the car. She quickly hurried upstairs and unlocked the front door. She opened it and slammed it behind her.

"Jackie! How many times do I have to tell you to close the door gently when you get home?" her mother exclaimed and rolled into the living room. "Also, what are you doing home? Doesn't your shift end later tonight?"

"Mom," Jackie panted out and walked over to her. "I need some advice."

"Alright," she replied, unaffected by the change of topic. "What's wrong?"

"It's Dick and his father."

Jennifer shrugged. "What about them?"

"They were at James Cliff's Steakhouse, and I was their server."

"And?"

"And they left me a huge tip when they left!"

Her mom smiled. "I'm sure it's not as large as you think it is."

"Really?" She pulled out the wad of cash from her apron and showed it to her, who widened her eyes when she saw it. "Does this look small?"

"Oh dear," her mother muttered and took the cash from Jackie. "Do you know how much this is?"

The teen shook her head. "No, I haven't counted it yet."

"Then let's count it. We shouldn't worry about it until after we count it."

The seventeen year old nodded and sat down on the couch in their living room. "Let's get started."

Thirty minutes later, Jackie and Jennifer counted the money three times just to make sure they were right about the total amount. The teen sat back as she shook her head in concern. "Mom," she whispered. "It's too much."

Her mother nodded as she stared at the scattered hundred dollar bills on the coffee table. "You're right; you need to give it back to Dick at school tomorrow," she replied in a whisper.

She scoffed and sat forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "How am I going to convince Dick to take back two thousand dollars? He already said he won't take it back."

"Sneak it in his bag then."

The teen sighed and nodded. "I'll try."

"Try what?"

Jackie gasped and fired up her electricity as she quickly turned to face the intruder. She calmed down though when she saw the familiar bat symbol on his chest. She let out a breath of relief. "Hey, Bats."

"Try what?" he repeated.

"She's going to convince a friend of hers to take back a tip he and his father gave her tonight," Jennifer answered and gestured to the scattered money. "It's too much."

"How much?" he asked.

"Two thousand dollars," the teen answered.

He narrowed his eyes. "Who gave you the tip?"

"Bruce and Dick Wayne."

He nodded and softened his gaze. "Why don't you keep it then? The Wayne family is already rich."

"It's not right," the seventeen year old muttered and shook her head. "It doesn't feel right to keep that much money."

"You should keep it."

Jackie jumped again as she turned around to be face-to-face with the Boy Wonder. "Robin?" she asked, confused that he was here. "What are you doing here? I thought Bat-"

"I told him I knew," he interrupted and smirked at her. "So he let me come to visit."

"But why did you-"

"Come to visit?" he asked, interrupting her again. "Because I wanted to make sure you were doing alright after the mission yesterday."

"Oh," she muttered, looking away as she felt her face heat up. "That's very sweet, Robin."

He smiled at her and looked at her mom, who was watching them curiously. "Hi," he greeted and walked over to her, holding out a hand to her. "I'm Robin, and I'm guessing you're Jackie's mom."

"Yes," Jennifer replied and shook his hand as she smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Robin."

He grinned and looked back at Jackie, who was smiling at him. "I think you should keep the money," he continued, changing the subject back to its original topic. "It'd help you and your mom with your bills."

"Yes, but-"

"You should," Batman spoke, interrupting Jackie. "That much money would probably last you until your mother is able to go back to work."

"But-"

"The Wayne family most likely wouldn't take it back anyway."

The seventeen year old sighed again. "It still wouldn't hurt to try."

Robin snickered. "Good luck," he spoke and walked over to Batman. He then turned to look at Jackie over his shoulder. "By the way, I hope I see you tomorrow."

"Me too, Genius."

He nodded and followed Batman to the kitchen. He though looked past the archway of the kitchen to look at both of them. "Also, Jackie, Kaldur's recovered. He wants to talk to you when you come back."

"Why?"

He smirked. "I guess you're going to have to come to Mount Justice to find out, Sparkle."

She rolled her eyes playfully at the nickname and smirked. "Fine, Genius. I'll see if I can stop by in the morning."

He nodded and left with Batman.

"So," Jennifer began after a minute and smirked. "Robin, huh?"

Jackie raised an eyebrow at her, confused as to what she was talking about. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Her mother shrugged. "You two seem a little, oh I don't know, close."

"Close?" she asked and grinned, now understanding what her mom was trying to say. "Mom, I barely know him. Besides, he reminds me of a little brother; nothing more."

Her mom hummed and rolled into her bedroom. "Then why did you blush when he told you he wanted to make sure you were doing okay?"

"Well," she replied and rubbed the back of her neck. "Guys don't normally check up on me."

"Well, has anyone else on the Team caught your eye?"

Jackie gulped and crossed her arms. There was someone, but they didn't really know each other that well, and she thought it wouldn't be wise to ask him out considering her past. "Nope."

"Alright, sweetie," her mom called out from, Jackie thought, the bathroom. "When you're ready to talk about it, just let me know."

She smiled and rolled her eyes as she picked up the money and gathered them together to give to Dick tomorrow. Of course her mother could see through her lies and call her out on them.

Once she was done putting the money back together, she walked into her bedroom and retired for the night.

* * *

Gotham City

September 7th, 5:45 am.

"Jackie," her mother's voice whispered to her. "Jackie, wake up."

Thinking it was a dream, the teen mumbled something incoherent and rolled onto her side.

"Jackie! Wake up!"

She opened her eyes wide when she felt a hand shaking her shoulder. She turned over to lay on her back to see her mother by her bedside. "Mom?" she asked sleepily as she rubbed her eyes. "What's wrong?"

"It's time to get up, honey," Jennifer whispered and smiled.

Jackie looked over to the clock on her nightstand to see that it was five forty-six in the morning! She gasped, upset that she was woken up super early, and looked at her mom. "Why? I don't have to be at school until eight!"

"You promised Robin you would stop by Mount Justice, remember?"

The teen groaned and rubbed a hand down her face as she turned to lay on her side again. "Yeah, but I can go later," she replied and closed her eyes.

Her mother sighed, and Jackie felt something soft hit her head. "No, you are going now; get dressed and come in the kitchen for breakfast when you're done."

The seventeen year old groaned again. "Do I have to?"

She felt something soft hit her head again. "Yes," her mother replied simply and wheeled out of the room. "Hurry too, Jackie! I don't want you to keep them waiting!"

"Fine," she mumbled again and sat up. She walked over to her bathroom to start getting ready.

Ten minutes later, Jackie walked into the kitchen dressed in her hero uniform with her school uniform in her bag to put on after she left Mount Justice. She also left her mask in it too so she could put it on once she was in front of the phone booth.

"I'm done, Mom," she announced as she sat down at the table and let her bag fall off her shoulder and onto the floor.

"Good," her mother replied and brought over two bowls full of cereal.

"Thanks," she muttered and started eating.

"Are you excited?"

"For what?" she asked as she looked at the middle-aged woman curiously. "I've met them before."

"I know, but you hardly know them. This is the perfect opportunity for you to become friends with them."

"I doubt we'll become friends just like that, Mom," she replied as she snapped her fingers for emphasis.

"You'll still enjoy it."

The teen shrugged. "Maybe."

Both of them were silent for about five minutes until her mother started another conversation, "So who on the Team caught your eye?"

Jackie sighed and dropped her spoon in her bowl. "Mom, there's no one on the Team that has caught my eye."

Her mama hummed and took another bite of her cereal. "Sure, honey. Whatever you say."

"You want to talk about romance?" she challenged. "Let's talk about you and Batman."

Jennifer's eyes widened, and she dropped her spoon on the table. "B-Batman? Oh no, honey. He's only, oh I don't know, a friend?"

"Then why did you make him cookies?" she asked, smirking. "You don't make cookies for just 'a friend'."

"Those cookies were Kyle's recipe. I just made them to be polite."

Now it was her turn to hum. "Sure, Mom. Whatever you say," she teased and kept eating her cereal.

* * *

Mount Justice

September 7th, 06:10 EDT

"Recognized: Electra: B-0-8," the Zeta-Beam announced as Jackie walked through it, and she expected to see the entire Team, but no one was in the room. She felt confused; she was expecting to see someone, but there was no one around.

"Electra."

Jackie turned to her right to see Aqualad walking over to her. She smiled; he looked healthier than he did two days ago. "Aqualad," she greeted. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, thanks to you," he replied as he stopped in front of her and smiled.

She shrugged. "It was Robin's idea for me to fly you over to the Bio-Ship; I'm really not the one to thank."

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "You are the person to thank. I was told you had a fear of heights, yet you flew me to the Bio-Ship anyway, ignoring your fear and not letting it control you."

She smiled and looked away shyly. "I can imagine you would have done the same for me; not flying, obviously, but something else."

He nodded and squeezed her shoulder. "Thank you, Electra; I owe you one."

"You don't owe me anything."

"Of course I do."

She sighed. "You're not going to let that go, are you?"

He smiled and shook his head. "No."

She nodded. "Alright," she agreed reluctantly and looked around again. "Have you seen Robin?"

"I asked him to tell you to come here today, so I could thank you in person."

Her eyes widened as she looked back at him. "You know that Robin knows who I am?"

"No, I did not know that," he explained. "I asked him if he knew how to find you, and he said he did."

"Oh," she muttered. "You're not mad that he knows, right?"

"Of course not. I believe when you are ready to share your secret identity, you will."

She smiled. "Thanks, Kaldur'ahm."

"Please, call me Kaldur."

She raised a skeptical brow. "I thought your friends only call you that."

"We are friends, aren't we?"

She bit her lip and rubbed the back of her neck nervously. She liked him, but she wasn't ready to let anyone in yet; she was still keeping Dick at a distance no matter how persistent he was.

"You don't trust me," he stated.

She looked down and sighed. "I'm sorry-"

"Don't apologize," he interrupted sternly. "We just met; I'm sure once you get used to being around the Team, you'll feel differently about us."

She nodded and looked up at him. "Thanks for understanding."

"Of course," he replied and smiled. "Would you like to join me for a swim?"

"I don't think I could," she said quickly. "I don't exactly have my swimsuit with me."

"Perhaps another time," he stated and looked at his hand which was still on her shoulder. He took it back and rubbed the back of his neck nervously as she blushed. "I apologize; I didn't realize-"

"Neither did I," she quickly stated, hoping to avoid awkwardness.

He nodded. "If you are planning on staying here until Robin arrives, at least come and talk to me while I swim."

She nodded. "Sure, I'll sit by the water."

He led Jackie over to another room with two more Zeta-Tubes and what looked to be a large generator. There was also a large pool area. "This is the Hangar; there's a bay door to get in here underneath the water," Aqualad explained.

"It must be nice to breathe under water," she commented, changing the subject. "I wish I could."

He smiled. "You can always practice your duration of holding your breath under water."

She shrugged. "True, but I doubt I'll improve."

"I can give you lessons," he offered, now stepping into the water.

"I'm good, but thanks."

He nodded and dove the rest of the way in, going in deeper. Jackie sat down cross-legged by the edge and took her backpack off as Kaldur resurfaced. "So," he asked. "How does Robin know your secret identity? Did you tell him?"

She shook her head. "He figured it out on his own; I guess I wasn't being very careful before."

He hummed. "I assume you're being more careful now?"

She smiled. "Yep. I doubt anyone else can figure out who I am."

"I see," he replied and swam closer to her. "You don't have to be so protective of your identity; no one else on the Team will look into it."

"Thanks, but I should still be more careful."

"Understandable," he agreed and dove back under the water, causing a little water to splash on Jackie's arms. She quickly dried it off without hesitation and scooted back a little, returning to how she was sitting before.

He resurfaced and looked at her questioningly.

"What?" she asked.

"You moved farther from the water; why?" he asked as he swam closer to the edge of the pool.

She bit her lip and looked away, not wanting to look at him directly. "I didn't really want any water to get on my uniform," she replied, trying her best to sound truthful.

He set his hand down on the floor where she had been sitting originally. "I promise not to get you wet; why don't you come closer?"

"I'm fine right here."

He raised a skeptical brow. "I prefer to speak to you here than there," he stated, pointing to where she was sitting.

"And I prefer to speak to you from here than there," she retorted, pointing to her original spot on the floor. She jumped when her hearing picked up a boy's cackle coming from somewhere around the hangar, and both Aqualad and Jackie looked around.

"Who was that?" she asked, clearly confused when she couldn't see anyone else in the room.

"Robin," Aqualad answered. "He must have arrived."

"Hey, Genius!" Jackie exclaimed.

He cackled again, and Jackie could have sworn she heard him closer to her. "Where the heck is he?" she muttered and stood up. "Do you see him, Aqualad?"

"I do not," he responded and backed away from the edge. "Come sit closer, Electra; I would like for you to."

"I don't want to, Aqualad," she replied and turned to face him with her hands on her hips.

"Why not? What is so wrong with sitting closer to the water, so I can hear you better when I'm in the deep end?"

She crossed her arms. "Why are we even arguing about this? There's no point to it."

Robin cackled again. "Robin!" she exclaimed, turning around. "If you have something to say then come out and say it!"

"Okay."

She yelped in surprise and turned to look behind her to see the Boy Wonder there, smirking. She placed a hand over her heart. "Genius, why would you scare me like that?"

"Because it was fun," he replied and crossed his arms.

She rolled her eyes. "For you," she retorted.

He snickered and turned to look at Aqualad. "Hey, Kaldur," he greeted.

"Hello, Robin," Kaldur greeted. "Electra and I were just discussing why she won't come near me."

"It's not you," she groaned.

"It's the water?" Robin asked. "That makes sense."

"It does?" she asked, confused as to how he figured out her reasoning.

Robin nodded. "If water touches you while you're using your electric powers, you could get electrocuted."

"Thank you," Jackie sighed out. "See? He gets it."

Aqualad sighed. "I still don't see why you cannot sit closer to the water while you are not using your electric powers."

"I told you; I don't want to get my clothes wet."

"They will dry."

She sighed in frustration and looked to where Robin was standing before but noticed he was gone. "Now where did he go?"

She yelped again when she felt two hands on her back pushing her towards the pool. She planted her feet on the ground and tried to stay where she was. "Robin!" she exclaimed, knowing he was pushing her.

Said-boy cackled. "Come on, Electra," he teased. "Don't you want to go for a swim?"

"No!" Jackie replied. "I don't want to 'go for a swim'!"

"Robin, leave her be," Aqualad ordered, crossing his arms.

"You wanted her closer to you, and the only way to accomplish that is to get her in the water next to you," Robin explained.

"No, Robin," Kaldur replied. "Not forcefully."

"You would be arguing about this all day if she didn't come any closer to the water."

"Genius, please don't," Jackie begged as her feet were now against the edge of the pool.

The Boy Wonder smirked and pinched her sides, making her yelp and jump, so he could push her in all the way. Before she fell in, she yelled, "Robin, I can't swim!"

She caught a glance at him to see him reaching out to grab her, but he was too late. She started sinking and held her breath until Aqualad grabbed her and resurfaced with her in his arms. She took in many deep breaths as she had her arms wrapped around Kaldur's neck.

"You okay, Sparkle?" Robin asked, crouching down close to the edge.

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine," she replied and turned to Kaldur. "Thanks."

"Of course," Aqualad replied. "Why can't you swim?"

She looked away from him. "You'll laugh at me."

"No, we won't," Robin assured. "I promise."

She sighed. "I-I'm afraid of large bodies of water. It's so deep and there are so many creatures that are equally as t-terrifying, so I never swim."

"Sounds a lot like Thalassophobia, which is the fear of large bodies of water, like seas, oceans, lakes, etc." Robin commented.

"I can teach you to swim," Kaldur offered without hesitation.

"No, I don't think that's a good idea," she replied and gestured to the edge of the pool. "I should go dry off."

Kaldur swam her over to the edge, and she lifted herself out of the pool with Robin helping her up. "Thanks," she muttered as she picked up her backpack and walked out of the hangar, hoping to find some alone time.

She walked back into the Mission room and sat next to the Zeta-Tubes, trying to decide if she should go home for the day or not. She brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly as she felt water drip down her back and face. She shook her head, causing some more water to fall, and she sighed as she rested her chin on her knees.

How could she be so stupid? She should've just went to work today and not come to the Cave; she wouldn't have embarrassed herself if she did. She sighed again and closed her eyes.

It was her father's fault that she was terrified of large bodies of water, particularly the oceans, seas, and lakes. He used to tell her scary stories of them before she went to bed, so she could have nightmares. He mentioned that if she dared to swim in them, she would drown almost immediately or be eaten alive by meat-eating sea creatures. She shivered at the thought and the fact that she was cold from being drenched in water.

"Electra."

She looked up to see Robin and Aqualad standing next to her. The Boy Wonder sat down cross-legged, and Aqualad sat down against the wall next to her.

"What is it?" she asked, staring at the other side of the room to avoid their stares.

She felt Kaldur'ahm place a hand on her shoulder and squeeze it gently. "We want to help you," he stated, sounding serious.

She shrugged. "It can't be helped."

"Yes it can," Robin replied. "You got over your fear of flying, remember?"

She sighed and looked down. "It's not the same; we're talking about large bodies of water, something I've been terrified of since I was a kid."

"You weren't afraid of heights when you were a child?" Kaldur asked.

She shook her head. "No, I've been afraid of them after I found out I could fly."

Kaldur hummed, and Robin grabbed and held onto her hand. "We can try to help you get over it," the Boy Wonder whispered. "Your fear probably won't go away after one day, but we can at least work on it to make it disappear in the future."

She sighed again and looked at him. "It's not that easy, Genius," she replied. "I've been fighting that battle for years, and I still can't put one foot in the water."

"Which is why we will help you," Kaldur stated. "You can trust us to help you."

Thoughts raced around in her mind of the pros and cons to accepting the offer. She could learn to swim and not be so afraid, but she could freak out and drown. Aqualad and Robin said they'd be there though, and she was starting to trust Robin more.

She sighed and rested her chin on her knee. "I have to think about it."

"But-" Robin began, but was interrupted by Kaldur.

"That is all we ask, Electra," he commented as he nodded at Robin, who nodded back in understanding.

* * *

 **Will Jackie take Aqualad's offer to teach her to swim? Will she convince Dick to take back the money? Find out soon! :)**

 **Please leave a review! Constructive Criticism is welcome! :)**


	4. Chapter 4: Targets

**I'm sorry if I got the time wrong; I'm just assuming that these events happened at these times.**

* * *

 **Also, I lied; you won't find out if Aqualad teaches Jackie to swim or not in this chapter or if she can convince Dick to take back the money, but I promise you will find out in the next chapter. :)**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** **I don't own Young Justice! I only own my OC's! Jeremy Carter is an OC I created too. I don't own Jackie's superhero name; my friend owns it, and they gave me full permission to use it. :)**

* * *

Mount Justice

September 7th, 06:37 EDT

After Robin left the Cave, Jackie sat cross-legged across from Aqualad as she listened to him tell her about Atlantis. From the way he explained the place, she pictured it to be very beautiful. "It must be a nice place to grow up," she commented and smiled.

"It is," he agreed and smiled at her. "Perhaps one day you can see it for yourself."

She dropped her smile and gulped as she rubbed her arms nervously. "Well, we'll see."

He grabbed her hand, causing her to look up at him. "I can teach you to swim if you want me to."

"I said I would think about it," she whispered as she glanced at their hands holding each others, making her heart rate speed up.

"I know; just let me know what you decide."

She nodded and smiled gently. "I will."

He nodded once and let go of her hand. She took it back, rather reluctantly, and massaged it to calm herself down.

"Recognized: Martian Manhunter: 0-7. Red Tornado: 1-6," the computer announced as two figures came walking through.

"Welcome," Aqualad greeted and stood up, helping Jackie to stand up as well.

"Good morning, Aqualad," Red Tornado greeted and turned his attention to Electra. "You are Electra, correct?"

She nodded. "Yes, I am. It's a pleasure to meet you," she replied and smiled.

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well," Martian Manhunter spoke and looked at the Atlantean. "Where is M'gann and Superboy?"

"Uncle J'onn!"

At the sudden outburst, all of them turned to see Miss Martian flying towards them with two sack lunches in her hands. She landed next to them and hugged the older martian, and he returned it.

"M'gann, are you ready?" he asked her as they pulled away from each other.

"Yep. I just need to find Superboy," she replied and smiled.

"I think I saw him walk towards the hangar with his bike," Electra stated.

"Electra!" Miss Martian exclaimed after noticing her and quickly hugged the human girl, making her feel a bit uncomfortable. "Welcome back!"

"Thanks," she muttered and pulled away from the martian. "Robin told me I should stop by, so I did."

The martian girl smiled at her. "I'm glad you did."

Jackie nodded. "What's with the lunches?" she asked as she pointed at them.

M'gann looked down at them before replying, "They're for school."

The seventeen year old shot her a curious look. "Uh, school?"

Miss Martian nodded. "Superboy and I are starting school today."

"Oh," she muttered. "I didn't know that."

"Shall we find Superboy?" Red Tornado suggested, gaining all of their attention.

The martian girl smiled and flew out of the mission room with Aqualad, Martian Manhunter, Red Tornado, and Electra right behind her.

"They're starting school?" Jackie whispered to Kaldur'ahm. "I would have thought they didn't have to."

"They cannot stay at the Cave the whole day; they could get bored quickly," he whispered back. "Plus, they will both learn what human teenagers are like when not on the Team."

Jackie nodded; it kind of made sense to her; although she would rather stay home instead of going to school if she had the choice.

She yelped suddenly when Sphere rolled right past her and the others and into the hangar. Aqualad smiled in her direction, seemingly amused by her reaction, and she blushed in embarrassment as she looked away from him.

"Ready for school?" she heard Miss Martian ask Superboy, who looked over at her from working on his bike. "I made our lunches!"

Jackie walked into the room and followed the others over to Superboy.

"The first day of the scholastic season carries great cultural resonance," Manhunter stated. "We want to wish you both well."

"You may wish to change before you depart," Kaldur'ahm suggested, gesturing to their hero uniforms.

"Oh! I spent hours choosing this outfit!" M'gann exclaimed, and her clothes changed from her uniform to a berry red skirt, a black belt, a white shirt with a matching berry red short-sleeved jacket. "What do you think? Can M'gann M'orzz pass as an Earth girl now?"

The seventeen year old human girl raised her eyebrows in surprise that M'gann would ask that when her skin color was still green.

"Well," Aqualad began.

"M'gann, you might want to-" Electra began but trailed off when the martian interrupted.

"Just kidding!" M'gann exclaimed again and her skin color changed to white. "Meet Megan Morse!" She curtsied and turned to look at Superboy. "What's your new name?"

"My what?" he asked, confused.

"I chose the name John Jones for myself and suggested John Smith for Red Tornado," Manhunter stated and shape-shifted to look like a civilian. "You could be a John, too."

"Pass," Superboy rejected quickly and crossed his arms.

Electra hummed. "How about Jack? Or Brian?" she suggested.

"Definitely not," the clone rejected.

"Conner's always been my favorite name," M'gann stated, and the clone shrugged in reply.

"You'll need a last name too," Jackie stated and crossed her arms.

"Perhaps," Manhunter suggested. "Kent."

"Oh! In memory of the late Doctor Fate; the late Kent Nelson," Miss Martian spoke.

"Of course," the older martian replied warily as he shape-shifted back.

"Okay," Superboy agreed. "Sure. I guess it would be an honor or something."

"Well, _Conner Kent_ , time to change your shirt," M'gann told him. "You don't want to reveal your identity."

He started taking off his shirt, causing both Jackie and M'gann to blush. The human girl placed her hands in her pockets as she looked away to avoid any awkwardness.

"Will this work?" he asked as he held his shirt out to M'gann.

The martian girl stared dreamily at him. "Works for me."

Superboy started walking away with M'gann as he turned his shirt inside out. "Wait. Shouldn't I be Conner Nelson?"

"They grow up so fast," Manhunter commented.

Jackie smiled and looked over at Sphere, who rolled over to the four of them. She patted Sphere. "Don't worry, Sphere; they'll be back before you know it," she assured, thinking that was why Sphere kept talking, or beeping, at them.

"It seems that Sphere likes you," Aqualad commented, and the teen girl looked over at him.

"You think?" she asked.

"It would appear that way," Martian Manhunter replied as he smiled at her.

She smiled back and patted Sphere once more. "Electra?" Red Tornado asked as he looked at her. "We have never heard of you and can't find any records of you; may I ask why?"

"Um," she muttered and gulped as she tried coming up with an answer. "Well, I'm-"

"Perhaps it is best if we leave that question unanswered," the Atlantean interrupted, rescuing Jackie. "She just joined this team; she might not be ready to answer those kinds of questions yet."

Jackie nodded and breathed out a silent sigh of relief. "Yeah. What he said."

Tornado and Manhunter shared a glance before focusing on the teen girl. "Understood," the machine answered. "We'll take Miss Martian and Superboy to school now."

The two teens nodded and watched as the superheroes left the hangar. "Thanks," Electra commented as she looked at the Atlantean. "You didn't have to do that."

"You are not ready to talk about who you are. I did not want you to feel pressured to do so," he replied as he smiled at her.

She smiled back. "Again thank you."

He nodded. "So," Kaldur'ahm began and rubbed the back of his neck. "What would you like to do now?"

Electra shrugged. "Well, I don't have to be at school until later so there's no rush for me to leave."

He nodded again. "Perhaps I can give you a tour of the Cave," he suggested, and she nodded.

"Lead the way, Mr. Tour Guide."

He smiled and gestured to the room they were in. "As you know this is the hangar," he began and started leading Jackie out of the room.

After ten minutes, they stopped outside of another room. So far, she's seen the mission room, the hangar, the kitchen, the lounge, the medical bay, the workout room, the showers, and was pointed out where the girls locker room was. "This," he gestured to the closed door. "is the library."

Her eyes widened as she grinned. "The library?" she asked with hope in her eyes. "Can we go inside?"

He nodded and opened the door for her. She walked in and gaped at the thousands and thousands of books on various amounts of shelves. "Whoa," she muttered and walked over to the closest shelf. "This is awesome."

"Are you a fan of reading?" he asked as he walked over to her.

"Are you kidding!? I love reading! It's one of my favorite hobbies!"

He smiled gently at her exclamation. "You can come here to read whenever you like; the library is not off limits."

"If it were, I'd sneak in here all the time just to read a book or two," she thought.

"What do you like to read?" he asked and took a book out of the shelf to read the summary on the back of it.

"I mostly read action and adventure books," she stated and took out a book too. "But if any other type of book sounds good to me, then I'll read that too."

"Even romance?" he asked and handed her the book in his hand. "It looks like this one is a romance novel."

She handed him hers and took his as she read the back of it. "Yeah, I would read romance books if the summaries interest me."

He nodded and slid the book he was holding back onto the shelf. "Perhaps there is a book in here on Atlantis," he muttered as he looked around him. "I'll see if I can find one, and show you some pictures of where I grew up."

"Okay," she commented as she continued reading the back of it.

He left and right after he did, she sat down and started reading the novel he handed to her. The summary interested her, making her think that this would be a good book to read.

After a few minutes, he came back with a book in hand. "Electra," he called out as he sat down on the ground next to her, and she looked at him. "I found this. There are no pictures, and I'm not even sure if the information in it is accurate."

She smiled. "Well, we won't know for sure until we read it. Who wrote it anyway?"

"A 'Jeremy Carter'," he stated as he read the front cover. "He is the author."

Her eyes widened. "Jeremy Carter? He wrote this?"

"Yes, he did," he replied and looked at her curiously. "Do you know him?"

"Not personally, but I do know his work, and I've always loved his books."

He hummed and handed her the book. "Perhaps you would like to read it then. I believe it is an action and adventure book, judging by the summary on the back."

She nodded. "Can I take it home and read it?"

"Of course," he replied and smiled at her. "Like I said, the library is open to everyone."

"Thank you," she commented and put the book in her bag. "Here." She handed him a blue-covered book, and he took it. "I found it while you were gone. I read it last year for an English project; it's about two explorers trying to find the lost city of Atlantis to become rich and famous."

He nodded. "Did you enjoy reading it?"

"It didn't contain too much action and adventure, like I would have wanted, but the plot and many twists in it made it a good read."

"I see," he replied and opened it. "I will read it then."

She smiled and continued reading the romance novel he gave her.

After a few more minutes, they both heard a clicking noise, and Kaldur'ahm stated, "Aqualad."

"It's me," the voice on the other line stated. "I may _possibly_ be in over my head."

"Do you require assistance, Red Arrow?" Kaldur'ahm asked as he glanced at Electra to see her looking at him curiously. He smiled at her, and she smiled in return.

They heard Red Arrow sigh. "Just this once."

Kaldur'ahm nodded. "See you there."

"Red Arrow out," he replied and they heard another click, meaning that he hung up on them.

The Atlantean stood up and held out a hand to Jackie. She let him help her up and followed him as he started walking out of the library. "Where are you going?"

" _We're_ going to Taipei, Taiwan. Red Arrow needs our help."

"Wait. We?" she asked and grabbed his arm, making him look back at her as they stopped walking. "First of all, I'm pretty sure this _Red Arrow_ doesn't want me there because, well, he doesn't know who I am. Not to mention, he asked _you_ for help; not me. Secondly, I have school."

He smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. "True, but I never got the opportunity to see how well you do when you're out in the field. Besides, the ride there will give us the chance to become better acquainted with one another."

She sighed. "Fine, but I should make a phone call first."

He nodded. "I will wait for you in the mission room."

She nodded and watched as he left. Once he was out of earshot, she walked over to the girls locker room, thinking there wouldn't be any cameras in there, and called her mom.

After a few rings, a click sounded. "Hello?" her mother asked.

"Hi, Mom," the teen girl greeted. "Listen, would it be a problem if I missed school today?"

"Missed school?" she asked with disbelief evident in her voice. "You've never missed school before. Why do you want to all of the sudden?"

"Well," Jackie began and rubbed the back of her neck. "I'm going on a mission."

Her mother hummed. "Oh? Who are you going with?"

"Just the leader."

"The leader?" she asked. "Who's the leader?"

"I'll tell you when I get home."

Jennifer hummed again. "You don't have to; I'll ask your used-to-be teacher."

Jackie raised a confused brow. "Who?"

"Sweetheart," she whispered. "You know who. He's tall, dark, and scary to most people."

Realization that she was referring to the Batman hit her. "Oh okay. He's coming over later?"

"I believe so," she replied. "He called and told me he would."

"Why?"

"I'm not sure," she replied. "Is the leader the one who caught your eye?"

The teen groaned in annoyance. "No, Mom."

"Uh-huh."

Electra sighed. "Mom, listen carefully; I do _not_ have a crush on anyone on the Team."

"Okay, honey," she replied. "Have a good time and use mints if you need to."

"Mom!"

"I'm just teasing, Jackie."

The teen sighed and smirked. "Okay, Mom. Make sure to have fun with tall, dark, and scary," she teased back.

"We're just friends, Jackie," her mother replied, slight annoyance evident in her voice.

"Sure, Mom. Whatever helps you to sleep at night."

Jennifer sighed and said she would excuse her from school for the day. Saying their goodbyes, Jackie hung up and placed her backpack in one of the lockers, thinking no one would check them for anyone's stuff, and walked into the mission room to find Kaldur'ahm waiting for her. He smiled when he noticed her.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

She nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

Taipei

September 7th, 22:03 NST

Jackie stood next to Kaldur'ahm as he zipped up his blue jacket, so he wouldn't be discovered by the possible assassin, who would possibly try to kill the neutral arbitrator or want to continue disrupting the peace summit between North and South Rhelasia. She didn't think she would be recognizable to anyone since she was new on the Team and at being a hero, so she didn't bother to put on a disguise for herself.

"Are you sure you don't wish to change?" Aqualad asked her.

She shook her head. "I doubt anyone would recognize me in my uniform."

He looked at her curiously. "Were you not really well known as a hero in the past?"

She looked away and stuck her hands in her pockets. "Well, I guess you could say that."

He smiled as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you for sharing that with me; whoever you were in the past, I will not judge you for it."

She smiled up at him. "Thanks, Aqualad."

He nodded in reply as he gestured to the two doors in front of them. "Red Arrow will be meeting with us behind these doors."

She nodded and grabbed the handle, but he grabbed her wrist, making her look up at him confusedly.

"Allow me," he offered.

She let go of the handle and let him open the door, holding it for her to walk through. She smiled and blushed as she looked away from him, muttering her thanks, and walked through the door. He followed her through from behind and walked with her over to someone, who Jackie thought was Red Arrow because of the bow and arrows on his back.

"What took you?" the archer asked and glared at Electra. "And who is this?"

She glared back at him, not liking his attitude. "Electra," she answered nonchalantly. "Let me guess, you're Red Arrow, the used-to-be Speedy."

"I don't go by that name anymore," he retorted. "I've never heard of you, _Electra_. What can you even do? Electrocute yourself before taking out the bad guys?"

Before she could say anything back, Aqualad placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her from saying anything more. "Electra is capable of many things, and she is a valued member of the Team," he replied as he narrowed his eyes at the archer.

"Whatever," Red Arrow scoffed and turned to the doors behind him. "We need to get inside."

"Lead the way," Aqualad replied.

Both Jackie and Kaldur'ahm followed Red Arrow to a large room where the two leaders of the South and North Rhelasia were sitting at a long table with other politicians and, to the teen girl's surprise, Lex Luthor. She stood next to the Atlantean as the archer walked up to the table and stood behind Luthor.

While the two leaders were arguing with each other, the teen girl asked in a whisper to Aqualad, "Why is Luthor here? Isn't he Superman's enemy?"

"He is," he replied. "But the leaders have chosen him as their neutral arbitrator."

The teen girl crossed her arms and nodded now understanding why he was here. But, to her, it didn't feel right; Luthor had once worked with her father. She didn't know what they did, but she remembered getting a phone call from the police telling her and her mother that her dad was arrested that night.

"Despite your differences, you still share your appreciation for many things, such as the exquisite art of the Rhelasian tea ceremony," Luthor stated, attempting to prevent any more arguing.

When both Jackie and the Atlantean heard a cart wheeling over to them, they turned around. "That is far enough, _Cheshire_ ," Aqualad ordered, making the assassin stop in her tracks and everyone gasp around them.

Electra's eyes widened in surprise to see her _friend_ behind the cart and not in her usual uniform. The assassin glared at Aqualad and when her eyes met with the seventeen year old's, she gaped at her in surprise. To save herself and Cheshire from giving her leader an idea that they knew each other, she glared and ordered, "Stand down."

The assassin smirked and pushed the cart in their direction then backed up. Water rose around Aqualad as he created a shield around them and the other people to prevent them from getting hurt. The cart was hit by an arrow, causing it to explode, and Jackie could clearly see that he was using all of his strength to keep the impact of the bomb from breaking through the barrier. His jacket started ripping off, and he started sliding backwards from how powerful the impact was. Once the explosion was over, his shield lowered as he panted heavily and sweat dripped down from his forehead.

"Are you alright?" the teen girl asked, concerned.

"Yes," he panted out as he smiled gently at her.

She smiled back and looked over worriedly at Cheshire, who stood up after the impact hit her. The assassin nodded in her direction, letting her know she was alright. Electra nodded at her in reply, letting her know she understood.

Red Arrow jumped down to be beside them and aimed an arrow at the assassin. "It's over, Cheshire," he commented.

Cheshire smirked, and Jackie fired up her electricity, knowing that the assassin probably had a Plan B in mind. "You would think so," the black-haired assassin retorted.

Electra's hearing picked up the sound of a helicopter and looked behind Jade to see a helicopter come into view with Sportsmaster in it and several others, who, she guessed, were here to help carry out the plan. "Great," she muttered as they all started running towards the heroes and the security that came over to help them.

"Take Sportsmaster," Red Arrow ordered as he pulled the bow string back. "Cheshire's mine."

"So territorial and only our third date," Cheshire commented as she prepared herself to fight.

"Electra, take down as many of Sportsmaster's men as you can," Kaldur'ahm ordered as he jumped over Cheshire and made his way over to Sportsmaster.

Electra nodded and ran over to a group of security to help fight the other assassins. She shot an electricity ball at a few of them and jumped in the air as she kicked one of them in the face. She landed on her feet and looked over to see one of the assassins lift their sword in the air and was ready to swing down to hit a security man. She quickly ran over and performed a spin attack, surprising both of them as she hit the assassin and landed on her feet. She looked over at the uninjured man and held out her hand to him, helping him stand.

She then looked over at Cheshire and concentrated hard on her telepathy, so she could talk to her and possibly distract her from killing Red Arrow. "Cheshire!" she exclaimed in her mind, causing the said-assassin to stumble in surprise and glare at Jackie.

"So you have telepathy and electricity powers," Cheshire commented in her mind. "What a surprise."

"What are you doing here? I didn't think you of all people would work with Sportsmaster," she replied and jumped onto a security man's back as she used him to jump onto an assassin, punching him in the face in the process.

"Stop it!"

Electra looked over at her confusedly. "Your fighting skills," the assassin explained. "Do you want my dad to figure out who you are?"

"Right," she muttered then replied telepathically, "What should I do then?"

"Don't use too much electricity, since your dad has electricity powers, and fight like this is one of your first fights."

"Then they'll predict my moves!"

"Then fight me!"

"I can't disobey Aqualad!"

Jackie saw Cheshire sigh and jump over Red Arrow, who tried to hit her with his bow. "Look," the assassin continued. "I don't want your dad knowing what you've been doing lately; you have to let me help you."

Electra nodded and punched an assassin in the gut then did the same to his face, knocking him out. "I have to use something else too, Cheshire."

"Sweep them from under their feet, and you can kick too, but don't use too much electricity."

"Got it!"

While Electra followed Cheshire's guidance to remain anonymous to Sportsmaster, she overheard him say, "Not bad, Lad. Better than your Team did in Santa Prisca or Bialya."

"How did you-" Aqualad started to ask.

"Let's just say," Sportsmaster interrupted. "I have an inside source; very inside."

"What?" Jackie accidentally thought telepathically to Cheshire.

"What do you mean 'what'?" Jade asked telepathically, slightly annoyed. "I said punch then kick then punch with electricity; I thought you were a fast learner."

"I am," she replied. "I was just distracted by what Sportsmaster said."

"Don't pay attention to my father; pay attention to the other assassins."

"Right."

Suddenly, the younger teen girl heard a man groan in pain from behind her and turned around to discover one of the assassins falling down, unconscious. She looked up to see the same security man she rescued behind her too. He nodded once at her, and she returned it, understanding that he saved her from the assassin to return the favor of her saving his life before.

Jackie heard an explosion occur above her and water started falling from the ceiling, and she looked up to see the sprinklers activated. She looked over to see Kaldur'ahm creating a snake out of the water, making her widen her eyes in shock, fear, and amazement.

"Whoa," she muttered when it started taking out the assassins around her and Sportsmaster.

It was destroyed, however, when Cheshire jumped in front of it, put on her mask, and threw a bomb into it, causing it to explode. Electra started coughing when smoke entered her lungs and struggled to see past it. She heard a man cry out from above her then heard another explosion, making the man scream in pain as she heard him drop to the ground.

Once the smoke was clear, she looked forward to see both Sportsmaster and Cheshire gone. She glared and walked over to Red Arrow and Aqualad.

"Gives new meaning to the arms race, doesn't she?" Luthor asked as Jackie looked over to see his assistant/bodyguard's arm turn from a weapon to an arm.

Both leaders sighed in relief and started praising Luthor and thanked him for saving their lives.

"They owe _him_ their lives?" the archer asked, hearing their conversation and clearly annoyed with it.

"What a joke," Electra muttered and glared at Luthor as he shook the leaders hands.

After thirty minutes, the leaders signed the peace treaty and the three heroes started walking out of the building. "I can't believe we just did a solid for Lex Luthor," Red Arrow commented.

"Not for Luthor; for peace," Kaldur'ahm stated.

Jackie nodded. "Jackie, we need to talk," she heard Cheshire say in her mind, surprising herself that she forgot to end the telepathic link. She stopped, making the two look back at her.

"Are you alright, Electra?" Aqualad asked.

"Yeah," she replied and started backing away from them. "I'm going to hit the restroom before we leave."

The Atlantean nodded. "Meet me outside when you are finished."

"Sure thing," she muttered and walked away from them.

"Where are you?" she asked telepathically to Cheshire.

"Look to your left; you'll see a gray door; go through it and down the staircase."

Electra quickly did so, avoiding the guards attention, and found herself in a narrow hallway.

"Then go to the third door on your right; go through it, and you'll find me," Cheshire commented.

The teen girl started walking over to the door, looking over her shoulder a few times to make sure no one was following her. Once she reached it, she walked through and closed it. She looked around but didn't see the assassin. "Cheshire?" she asked out loud.

She started to walk forward until she felt a hand grab her arm and a blade press against her neck. "Boo," she heard a woman whisper behind her.

Jackie smiled and looked over her shoulder to see Cheshire smirking at her. Jade lowered the sword and let her go. "You did good," the assassin praised. "A little rusty, but good."

"Thanks," Electra replied. "You didn't do bad yourself."

Jade chuckled then dropped her smile as she glared at the teen. "I told you to leave the Team. My dad could have easily discovered who you were tonight if he saw your moves!"

"Did he see me fight?"

"I don't know, but I do know that you shouldn't of come here."

The teenage girl crossed her arms. "If I knew you and Sportsmaster were going to be here, I wouldn't of come."

Jade shook her head and sighed. "I don't want your father to find you, Jackie; if my father is ever involved in one of the Team's missions, you need to back out."

"Easy for you to say," she retorted. "I can't exactly turn down Aqualad or Batman."

"Just come up with a believable story or pretend you have the stomach flu."

"Oh yeah 'cause that's not going to look suspicious," Jackie replied sarcastically.

"Just leave the Team then," Jade persisted and placed her hands on the teen's shoulders. "Do it for your own good, and your mother's."

Electra sighed and lowered her head. "I'll think about it."

"Good," she replied and walked over to the door, grabbing her mask on a nearby crate. "Think about what's more important to you; the Team, or you and your mom."

"Okay, Jade."

The assassin nodded and put on her mask then left. Jackie walked out too and went the opposite way to meet Aqualad outside.

She walked out the front doors, and her hearing picked up their conversation. "And if there is a mole, I have no wish to tip him, or her, off," Aqualad commented.

"Good luck with that," Red Arrow mocked and started walking away.

"One moment, my friend," Kaldur'ahm commented. "Tonight, you could have called Green Arrow for help, or the Justice League. Instead, your first instinct was to call the Cave."

"You're right. The Team deserves-has-my respect," he replied and turned around, making Jackie hide behind a pillar to avoid being spotted. "I'm still getting used to this solo act stuff. But if you need me, I'll be there."

Before the archer left, he spoke again, "One more thing; you said Electra just joined the Team; I would especially keep an eye on her."

Jackie glared and slightly turned to look at the Atlantean, who crossed his arms. "I will look into it, but I have high doubts that she is the mole; she does not know about the Santa Prisca mission."

Red Arrow nodded. "I would keep an eye on her still."

"I will."

The archer then turned around to walk away. Once Electra was certain he was gone, she came out from behind the pillar and walked over to the Atlantean. She tapped him on his shoulder, making him turn around to face her.

He smiled. "Are you ready to leave?" he asked.

"Yep," she replied and smiled back at him.

"Good, because I am looking forward to hearing more about Jeremy Carter, your favorite author."

"Yeah," she muttered as she walked away with him.

* * *

Gotham City

September 8th, 2:34 am

Jackie walked in through the front door, exhausted from the mission, and that Aqualad and her decided to spend a little bit of time walking around Taipei to get to know each other better. She sighed and dropped her backpack on the floor as she walked over to her bedroom, where she took off her uniform and changed into a set of Captain Marvel pajamas.

She yawned tiredly and collapsed on her bed, hoping to fall asleep as quickly as possible. But with Jade's persistence for her to leave the Team on her mind, it was difficult to keep her eyes closed. She knew Jade was right; if she left the Team then there was more of a chance that her mother and her would be safe. But her mom wanted her to be on the Team because she saw it as a chance for her daughter to start over. She groaned, annoyed that she didn't know what to do.

Not to mention, Sportsmaster's claim that there was a mole on the Team made it even more difficult to sleep. She was worried that this mole would find out her secret identity and possibly tell her father where she was. Her eyes widened when another thought occurred to her; if the mole found out who her father was, they could tell the Team, and her new life as a hero could vanish before it even begun. She had to find out who the mole was before Aqualad did; she couldn't let them figure out who her father was, and who that monster forced her to become.

* * *

 **Did Sportsmaster recognize her? Will Jackie find the mole before Aqualad does? Will Jackie allow the Atlantean to help her get over her fear of large bodies of water? Will she leave the Team like Jade wants her to? Find out soon. :)**

 **Please feel free to leave a review! Constructive Criticism is welcome! :)**


	5. Chapter 5: Decisions

**I am so sorry for the long-waited update. My life has just been so busy lately that it's prevented me from updating. :(**

* * *

 **Thanks for your review, Emu Thing. I added OC to the character list.** **:)**

 **Thanks for your review, Mira SeverusSiruis Black-Snape. I'm glad you like my story. :)**

* * *

 **Thank you to everyone who viewed my story, reviewed it, or follow/favorite it. :)**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice. I only own my OC's. I don't own Jackie's superhero name though; it belongs to a friend of mine, who gave me full permission to use it. :)**

* * *

Gotham Academy

September 8th, 11:30 am.

"Dick!" Jackie called out and raced over to said-boy, who turned around and smiled at her.

"Hey, Jackie! Like your present?" he asked.

She stopped in front of him and panted out, "I can't keep the money; it's too much."

He shook his head and shrugged. "Sorry, but I told you I'm not taking it back."

"Look, it's a lot of money, Dick. I can't keep it!"

"Still not taking it back, Jackie; you might as well accept it," he spoke and walked towards the cafeteria with her following beside him.

"Fine. How about you take three-fourths of it, and I'll keep what's left."

"Nope."

She groaned in frustration and sat down across from him at a table. "Come on, Dick. It's not fair."

He grinned. "Sorry, Jackie, but Bruce and I don't want it back."

"Look, I know you gave it to me because we're friends, but I can't keep all that money for myself."

He shrugged. "Then use it to pay the bills or buy your mom something nice."

She sighed and looked over at the lunch line. Apparently today they were selling pizza since it was Friday. She smirked; she remembered that Dick said he liked this school's pizza, which gave her an idea on how to give him back the money.

She looked over at him. "Hey, they're selling your favorite kind of pizza," she stated and pointed at the lunch line.

He smiled and stood up. He was about to start walking over to the line until he looked back at her with a smirk on his face as he glanced at his backpack on the ground. "If I find your money in my backpack, I'm going to give it back to you and add one-thousand dollars to it, so I wouldn't try anything."

Her eyes widened in surprise that he figured out her plan, and he snickered at her reaction as he walked over to the pizza line. She sighed and watched him as he stood at the end of it with his back towards her. She glanced down at his backpack and slowly reached over to it. When he looked back, she took her hand back and took off her own backpack as she took out her lunch her mom made for her that morning. She took a bite out of her sandwich and watched as he turned back around.

She sighed in relief. "That was close," she thought. "I have to give this money back to him no matter what he says or does."

She set down her sandwich and reached over to his bag again, hoping he wouldn't turn around. Her hand found it and pulled it over to her. She opened it and took out the money from her bag. She looked back up at him to make sure he wasn't looking before lifting up his binders inside of it and stuffing the money underneath them. She zipped up his bag and pushed it back over to its original position and took another bite of her sandwich before he turned back around to look at her.

After a few minutes, Dick came back with his slice of pizza and a juice box. He sat down and took a bite out of his slice. He smiled at her, and she smiled back at him. He hummed as he glanced at his backpack then back at her. "Did you put your money in my bag?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Nope," she lied and took another bite out of her sandwich. "Decided not to."

He hummed as he glanced back down at his bag again. "Alright."

She smiled, happy that he wasn't going to push her on it or check his bag.

* * *

4:02 pm

"Mom! I'm home!" Jackie yelled as she walked through the front door. "And I was able to give Dick back the money!"

"Okay, honey!" she heard her mother call out from the kitchen. "Is tonight your night off?"

"Yeah! I'm going to be in my room!"

"Alright!"

The teen walked into her room and left the door open as she threw her bag onto her bed. She pulled out her binders along with, to her surprise, the wad of cash that Dick and Bruce gave her and a note. "Oh no," she muttered and picked up the note, which read,

 _Dear Jackie,_

 _I knew you would try something; that's why I looked in my backpack for YOUR money while I was in science class. So I put the money back in your bag after PE. Don't try giving it back to me again; I don't want it._

 _By the way, you know how I said I would add one-thousand dollars to the already two-thousand if you tried something? Count it again. ;)_

 _From,_

 _Dick._

She frowned and glared at the cash. "Mom!"

"Yes, dear?" she replied from the kitchen.

"It turns out Dick found the money and gave it back. He even added one-thousand dollars to it, according to his note."

She heard her mother sigh from the kitchen. "Maybe it's best if we keep it since he seems so persistent."

She sighed and stuffed the money back in her bag. "I'm not giving up so easily!"

"I wouldn't either, but what else are you going to do?"

She shrugged. "I don't know," she muttered.

"I told you you should keep it."

She yelped at the sound of a boy's voice and turned around to see Robin perched on top of her desk. He smirked and jumped off, landing gracefully on his feet. He walked over to her.

"You should have kept it in the first place," he continued and crossed his arms.

"Forgive me for not wanting to feel selfish," she retorted and crossed her arms.

"It's not selfish; if anything, it's a good thing for you to keep the money."

"Really?" she asked sarcastically and glared.

He nodded. "Yeah. It's showing respect to whoever gave it to you."

She softened her glare and sighed. "I do have respect for Mr. Wayne and Dick, but for them to give me that much money, it doesn't feel right."

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're clearly selfless, and persistent, but I think you shouldn't think of the money as something bad; I think you should think of it as something good, like a sign or something like that."

She sighed. "I guess so," she muttered.

"So you'll keep the money?"

She sighed again. "Yeah. I guess I will."

He grinned. "Great!" He grabbed her arm and pulled her along with him to her closet. "Get in your uniform; Batman wants you to come to Mount Justice today."

She took her hand back and smirked at him. "What if I don't want to?"

He smirked. "He gave me full permission to kidnap you if you refused."

She rolled her eyes playfully. "I bet I could stop you."

He crossed his arms. "I doubt it."

"Wanna bet?"

He cackled and pointed to her closet. "Get dressed first, Sparkle."

She smirked and walked into her closet, quickly dressing in her uniform, then came back out and placed her hands on her hips as she looked towards Robin, who was now perched on her bed. "Ready?" he asked.

She held up her hand, signaling him she wasn't ready yet. "Mom, I might be going to see the Team soon!" she yelled to her mother.

"Okay, honey!" Jennifer replied. "Have fun!"

Jackie nodded and looked at Robin. "Now I'm ready."

He grinned and jumped off her bed. "Good because I'm so going to take you down!"

She rolled her eyes and fired up her electricity. "Bring it on, Bird Boy."

* * *

Mount Justice

04:55 EDT

"Recognized: Electra: B-0-8. Robin: B-0-1," the computer announced as both Jackie and Robin exited the zeta-tubes.

She giggled as Robin chased her and tackled her to the floor, wrapping his arms around her. "Give up?" he asked.

"Nope," she replied and elbowed him in the ribs, causing him to let go of her for a brief second and giving her the perfect opportunity to squirm out of his hold.

They both stood up and circled. "You're good at this," she praised.

He shrugged. "I have a lot of experience," he responded and ran towards her, making her run to the center of the mission room.

She stopped and turned around to face him as the floor below her lit up to form a circle in the center of the room. "Whoa," she muttered in awe.

Robin used her distraction to the floor to his advantage and tackled her, making her fall and land on her back. "Ow," she muttered and tried to sit up, but the Boy Wonder pinned her shoulders down to keep her from getting up. Next to her, the words, 'Electra Status: FAIL' appeared, making her scowl at it.

He grinned. "Give up yet?" he asked mockingly.

She smirked. "Not quite," she responded and fired up her electricity to a low level, so it wouldn't hurt. She grabbed his forearms, shocking him a little bit as tingles of electricity ran through his body and causing him to let go to pull his arms away. She brought him down closer to her and rolled so that she was now sitting on top of him and pushed him down to keep him from trying to sit up. She grinned when she saw 'Robin Status: FAIL' appear next to him.

He smirked. "Cheater," he accused.

She let go, straightened her posture, and placed her hands on her hips. "You're the one who tackled me without warning."

"Which is not cheating."

At the woman's voice, she turned around to see a blonde-haired woman and Batman walk over to them. "It's a way to surprise the opponent and take them down before they could react," the blonde-haired woman finished. "But her move wasn't cheating either; she found a way to get you off of her and used it to her advantage."

"Oh, right," Jackie muttered and stood up then held out a hand to the Boy Wonder, who took it and let her help him up. "Thanks for the tip, Miss-"

"Black Canary," she introduced and smiled at Electra. "I'm assuming you're the new member on the Team; Electra, correct?"

Said-teen nodded. "Yep, and you're my new combat teacher."

"And therapist."

Jackie rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "Right. I forgot about that."

Black Canary placed her hand on Electra's shoulder. "I can assure you that I will do whatever I can to help you."

The teen girl nodded. "I'll take your word for it."

Robin frowned in sympathy. "You okay, Electra?" he asked. "Is something wrong?"

"I-" Electra started.

"That is between Electra and Black Canary, Robin. If she wishes to talk to you about her problems, then she will," Batman interrupted.

The Boy Wonder nodded and smiled at the seventeen year old. "You know I'll always be there for you," he stated and punched her arm slightly.

She rubbed the part of her arm where he hit her and smiled at him. "I know, Genius."

He grinned at her and pointed behind him. "Want to continue our fun?"

"Actually," Black Canary responded. "I want to see how well you do against a different opponent, Electra."

"Okay," said-teen answered. "Who?"

The blonde-haired woman smirked. "Me."

Jackie's eyes widened as she stared at her. "But I'm not even at your level."

"I still want to see how well you do, so I can know how to train you." Black Canary walked to the center of the room and gestured for the teen girl to come over too.

"I'm not going to like this," the seventeen year old muttered as she walked over to her teacher.

"You'll do great, Electra!" Robin exclaimed as he stepped off the lighted up circle.

"I hope so," she muttered then asked out loud, "Am I allowed to use my powers?"

"No," Black Canary replied. "I want to see what level you're at in combat only."

Electra nodded and got into a fighting stance. Her teacher did the same as she smirked at her. "Don't hold back; show me what you can do."

Jackie nodded again and made the first move; she aimed a punch at Canary, but she dodged it easily and hit the teens stomach, causing her to grimace for a second before regaining her composure. Her teacher aimed a kick, but Jackie ducked and jumped to the side before she got hit. They circled a bit before the teen girl, trying to remain emotionless, ran forward and jumped in the air as she kicked Canary in the head, making her stumble backwards a little. The blonde-haired woman smirked and caught Jackie's foot before it came into contact with her stomach. Before anything could happen to the teen, she pulled her leg out of her grip and got in another fighting stance.

"Very impressive, Electra," Canary praised.

"Thanks," she replied then jumped in the air and would have performed a spin attack, but the blonde-haired woman predicted her movement, and grabbed her leg then threw her down. She landed on her back with a thud and groaned. "Ow," she muttered.

Canary walked over to her and held out her hand to her, which she gratefully took and stood up. "You're really good with combat," her teacher praised. "It seems I'm going to have to train you a little harder than the other team members if you're going to improve. Nice work."

The teen girl grinned. "Thanks."

Canary nodded in reply, and Batman and Robin walked over to them. "Training isn't entirely why I wanted you to be here," the Dark Knight explained. "You and Canary need to talk."

The blonde-haired teen slumped her shoulders and frowned. "Right," she muttered. She didn't like therapy. The other therapists never got through to her, and she had doubts Canary could.

She felt a hand touch her shoulder and looked over to see her teacher smiling at her. "Why don't we get started," she suggested and gestured to another hallway.

Jackie nodded and followed Black Canary to the hallway. They walked down it for a little bit until they stopped at a room. Her therapist opened the door and the teen walked through, gaping at how relaxing it looked. There was a waterfall on the opposite side of the room, giving it a comfortable and peaceful feeling. There were two green chairs in the room facing each other, and two sand-colored end tables on each side of them. Black Canary gently pushed her in and gestured to a seat.

"Sit down, Electra," her teacher ordered, although it sounded more like a suggestion, and sat in one of the green chairs.

The blonde-haired teen did so and folded her hands in her lap. For some reason, she felt a bit nervous. There was one thing about therapists that she didn't like; they were able to read people, and she was afraid Canary would be able to see through her. She gulped as her teacher stared at her.

"So, Electra, why don't we talk about what's bothering you the most," the blonde-haired woman suggested and crossed her legs.

The seventeen year old tightened her hold on her hands, causing her knuckles to turn slightly white. "Well," she began but didn't know what to say after that. She's done this before with other therapists, but for some reason the words didn't want to fly out of her mouth. Maybe it was because of Cheshire's persistence to leaving the Team, or the fact that there was a mole and didn't know if her teacher could be trusted.

"You look a bit nervous," Black Canary stated. "Have you ever talked about your problems with others?"

Jackie nodded slowly. "Other therapists," she mumbled as she stared at the floor below to avoid her gaze.

"Were they able to help you in some way?"

"No," she responded before she thought about her words.

"How come?" Canary asked and leaned forward.

She shrugged and hugged herself. "I don't know."

"Did you feel like they didn't understand what you were going through?"

"Maybe," she muttered.

"Do you think I might be able to understand?"

The teenager shrugged again.

"You don't think I'll understand," Canary stated and leaned back. "Which is completely understandable."

Electra instantly looked up at her with widened eyes. "You think that's understandable?" she asked cautiously.

Her teacher/therapist nodded. "A lot of teenagers feel the same way whether it's with parents, teachers, siblings, friends, etc."

"Really?" she asked in disbelief. "Some people told me it's not understandable; that I should express my problems to any therapist willingly and openly."

"Then they're wrong. I believe we should work on your problems one at a time; starting with the smallest ones," she explained then sighed. "But if you would rather not talk to me about your problems and focus on learning to trust me instead then we can do that too."

"You're giving me a choice?"

"Yes," she replied and stood up. "I believe that when you're ready to talk, you will."

The teenager nodded and stood up too. "Thanks."

"Of course." As Canary started to leave the room, she looked over her shoulder at Jackie when she heard her mumble. "I'm sorry. What was that?"

Electra rubbed her neck nervously again. "I do need some advice on something I haven't been able to make up my mind on."

The superhero smiled and turned to face her. "I'll provide whatever advice I can."

The teen girl nodded and sat back down. "It's about one of my fears."

* * *

05:34 EDT

Jackie walked towards the mission room with Black Canary following her. She noticed Robin and Batman were still in the room standing with Kaldur'ahm, who must have arrived while she was in therapy.

The Boy Wonder was the first to notice her and grinned while he ran over to her. She smiled at him, expecting him just to walk the rest of the way with her over to the other two, but he immediately jumped onto her, making her stumble backwards in surprise as she instinctively wrapped her arms around him to prevent him from falling.

"How was it?" he asked, still clinging to her.

"It was fine, Genius," she replied as she struggled to keep holding him. "What are you doing?"

"Hugging you, obviously."

"Why?"

"Because I thought that maybe after the session you needed a hug."

She sighed. "Thank you, Genius, but I feel fine. Now could you let go? You're heavier than you look."

"Just for that comment, I think I'm going to stay up here longer."

She groaned. "Then at least cling to my back."

She felt him nod into her neck and adjust himself so that he was now facing her back. He wrapped his legs around her stomach and his arms around her neck, not tight enough to choke her; just tight enough to hang on without falling. She sighed and walked over to the others with Black Canary following her from behind.

"Hi," she greeted meekly because of Robin's behavior towards her, thinking they all saw what transpired moments ago.

"Hello, Electra," Aqualad greeted and smiled at her. "I see Robin has become quite attached to you."

"It's fun doing this," Robin commented. "I should do this to you more often, Electra."

She had to force herself to suppress a smile as she looked to the floor in slight embarrassment.

"How was it?" Batman asked.

"It was fine," she responded as she tapped on Robin's arms, letting him know he was holding onto her too tight. He loosened his grip, but climbed a little more upwards too.

Batman nodded and looked at Black Canary. "We need to head to the Watchtower; a mandatory meeting will start soon."

The blonde-haired woman nodded. "Let's head over then."

After they both left, Robin whispered into her ear, "Want to spar?"

"Actually, I wanted to talk to Kaldur'ahm first," she replied. "And you, I guess, since you offered to help me too."

She felt him nod into her neck again. "Where do you want to talk?" he asked.

"In the hangar's fine."

"Okay."

"Aren't you going to get off?"

"Why should I?" he asked and nuzzled her neck, making her smile slightly. "I like being up here."

She groaned and face-palmed. She knew she wouldn't be able to get him off of her without hurting him and didn't want to do that. "Fine; just hang on."

He responded by holding onto her a little tighter as they all walked into the hangar. Once they were close to the pool area, Robin jumped off and crossed his arms as he looked at Jackie.

"What's up?" he asked, tilting his head slightly.

Electra looked towards the water and stared at it with a little fear inside of her as she considered the decision she made on their offer. She gulped and turned to look back at them to see them smiling at her gently.

"You made your decision?" Aqualad asked.

She nodded and crossed her arms as she exhaled deeply. "I'll do it," she replied. "For the sake of any underwater missions in the future."

"And for yourself," the Atlantean answered and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"That too."

"You trust us?" Robin asked as he walked closer to her.

"I trust you to not let me drown," she answered and shrugged.

Robin shrugged back. "It's a start."

"Then we will begin," Aqualad stated.

"When?" the teen girl asked.

"How about now?" the Boy Wonder asked.

"Now?" she asked as she widened her eyes. "I don't have a swimsuit though."

Robin smirked. "I guess you're going to have to swim in your uniform then."

She sighed and sat down as she started taking off her boots and socks. "Fine," she muttered.

The Atlantean walked into the water, the shallow part, and turned to see Electra stand up and take off her jacket, revealing her many scars. He stared at her with concern and sympathy. "Electra," he muttered as she turned around to face him and dropped her jacket on the floor. "Where did you get those-"

The words caught in his throat as Jackie looked down at her arms. "Um. An old enemy," she replied in a whisper and looked at Robin, who looked at her with sympathy.

Kaldur'ahm nodded and held out his hand to her. "Shall we?" he asked.

She nodded and took off her gloves before grabbing his hand. He started walking backwards, and she followed him. Robin walked in from behind her as he placed his hands on her shoulders to let her know he was right there.

As soon as the water reached her knees, she stopped as she looked at Kaldur'ahm with worry and fear. "It's alright," he soothed. "I will not let anything happen to you."

"I won't either," Robin agreed. "You have my word."

She nodded reluctantly and held onto Aqualad's hand tighter. They both started leading her further into the water. Robin, though, stopped when the water went past his knees and said he would stay where he was if she needed anything.

The Atlantean pulled Jackie closer to him when the water reached her chest. She started trembling and started having trouble breathing as her heart rate sped up. "Maybe I made a mistake," she muttered.

In reply, Kaldur'ahm wrapped his arm around her waist and lifted her chin up to make her look at him. "I promise I will not leave your side while we are swimming," he whispered.

Seeing the seriousness and compassion in his eyes, she nodded and looked towards Robin as the leader of the Team asked him for a rebreather, which the Boy Wonder instantly tossed over to them. Aqualad caught it and handed it to Jackie, who gratefully took it and put it her mouth.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

She nodded and let him help her to walk further into the water. Once the water hit her neck, she felt her panic rise even more as the water continued to crawl upwards towards her chin.

"You're fine, Jackie," she thought, trying to calm herself down. "Aqualad's here next to you; you'll be alright as long as you're with him."

"Before we go all the way in, remember to kick your legs to swim," Kaldur'ahm instructed.

She nodded and they walked all the way in. The water rose all the way past her head, and she closed her eyes for a brief moment as the panic continued to rise. She no longer could feel her feet touching the floor beneath her, and her legs frantically moved around. She kept hearing her father's horrible stories ring in her head as she felt the water all around her.

She opened her eyes when she felt a hand touch her face and move it towards the left to see Aqualad next to her and gently smiling at her. He nodded and swam ahead of her, pulling her with him. She started following him, remembering to kick her legs to keep herself moving forward.

She tried to concentrate on her breathing to keep herself from full-on panicking as she swam with Kaldur'ahm through the water. She felt like her limbs were tiring too quickly and was wondering if this was normal for most people. He started to swim faster, causing Jackie to struggle to keep up as she kept a hold on his webbed hand. He looked back at her and slowed down a bit as they started swimming towards the surface.

Once their heads were above the water, Electra took out her rebreather and started taking in a few large breaths as she held onto Aqualad for support.

"What did you think?" he asked.

"It wasn't terrible," she admitted slowly as she showed him a weak smile.

"You okay, Electra?" Robin yelled. "How did it go?"

"I'm fine, Genius, and it was fine, I guess," she replied and looked back to the water. "Should we try again?"

"I believe it would help you to improve, but if it is too much-"

"No, we should continue for a little bit longer," she muttered a bit reluctantly.

He nodded. "Then we will continue, but slower this time."

She nodded and swam back down with him, making sure to not let go of his hand.

* * *

06: 10 EDT

Jackie stepped out of the water with Aqualad behind her. They both had originally agreed that she should continue practicing for at least an hour, but she became too tired and told the Atlantean they should be done for the day. She walked up to Robin and took the towel he offered her to dry herself off with. She sat down on the floor as she began rubbing the towel against her hair.

"You were excellent," Kaldur'ahm praised as he stood over her with Robin by his side.

"Yeah, you were great, Electra!" Robin exclaimed and grinned down at her.

She smiled. "Thanks to both of you," she commented and start drying off her dripping arms.

"Shall we continue tomorrow?" the Atlantean asked as he smiled at her.

She frowned slightly. "Why so soon? Can't we wait a few days?"

The Boy Wonder and Atlantean glanced at each other before looking back at her. "It would be better if you practiced every day," the youngest member commented. "That way, your fear would diminish a little bit each day you face it."

She sighed. "Fine. Let's try nothing new tomorrow though, alright?"

"As you wish," Aqualad agreed, and the teen girl stood up, handing him her towel and grabbing her jacket, gloves, socks, and shoes. "Will you be coming around the same time?"

"I'm not sure; my job might require me to work until a little after ten."

Aqualad nodded. "Then I will wait here until you arrive."

She nodded and said her goodbyes to both of them before leaving the hangar. She knew she needed to get home as soon as possible since she had a huge exam tomorrow in her mathematics class, and her mom would ground her if her grades continued slipping because of her lack in studying. She started up the zeta-tube and walked through it, hearing her name being called from behind her. It was too late to turn around though because she was now standing in the phone booth. She walked out of it, and put on her jacket then zipped it to cover up her shirt and took off her mask. She put on her socks and shoes next and stood up, wanting to go home.

She started to walk home until the phone booth lit up and the door opened revealing Robin. She smiled at him as he walked over to her. "Did you need something, Genius?" she asked, figuring that he was the one that called out to her when she was in the zeta-tube.

He nodded. "I thought you were going to keep the money," he stated and crossed his arms. "You told me you were."

"I still am," she replied and crossed her arms.

"Then why are you still going to work?" he questioned.

She sighed and shrugged. "I like my job."

"Do you like being on the Team?"

Her eyes widened at the sudden change of topic and nodded. "Of course I do."

"Do you like your team members?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to go on missions with us?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to come to training with us?"

"Yes, Genius," she answered, now a bit annoyed. "What's your point to this?"

He softened his gaze and grabbed her arms gently, making her throw him a questioning look. "Don't you think you're doing too much?" he asked softly. "The Team, school, and your job are too many things to do everyday."

She would have rolled her eyes if his voice wasn't filled with concern. Before she could reply, he took his hands back and started walking towards the phone booth. "I think you should quit your job, Jackie; it's doing more harm than good for your loyalty to the Team, and your loyalty to school," he continued.

He walked into the phone booth, and she watched as it announced his departure and lit up. She sighed and began walking back towards home, thinking about Robin's words.

She walked through the front door and closed it behind her. She would have greeted her mom since she knew she was still up and probably in the kitchen, but she wanted to take care of something first. She walked over to her bedroom and pulled out her phone from her backpack, which was still on the bed, and dialed her boss's number.

After a few rings, he answered, "Hello?"

"Hi, Mr. Robinson. It's Jackie," she replied.

"Jackie?" he asked. "It's your night off; why are you calling?"

"Well," she replied and rubbed the back of her neck. "I'm calling to tell you that I quit."

"What?! Why?! Did something happen to you, Jackie? Can I help?"

She smiled, happy that he had such a kind heart. "No, Mr. Robinson; I just realized that I've been doing too much lately, and it's costing my grades to slip and my mother to worry. I'm sorry."

He sighed. "I understand, Jackie. Come by tomorrow afternoon to pick up your final paycheck, alright?"

"I will and thank you."

"For what?"

"For giving me a chance."

He chuckled on the other line. "Well of course! Listen, if you do decide to start looking for work again, come talk to me; I'll be happy to take you back or put in a good word for you to other restaurants."

"Thank you, Mr. Robinson."

"Goodbye, Jackie, and I hope everything will get easier for you."

"You too and goodbye."

He hung up and so did she. "Jackie?"

Said-teen turned around to see her mother in the doorway with Batman behind her. "Who was that?" she asked.

"That was my boss," she responded and threw her phone onto the bed. "I quit my job."

Batman nodded. "And?" he asked.

She walked over to them. "My main priorities is my education and the Team."

"Then it's time to get to work," he commented, and she nodded, hoping that things were going to get easier from now on.

* * *

California

September 8th, 9:32 pm

Sportsmaster dropped the now-unconscious prison guard to the ground as he made his way over to his old friend's cell. He ignored the calls of the other prisoners to release them, since they saw the key he had, and unlocked a cell door. He opened it and went through it as the lights from the hall chased away the darkness, revealing his old friend sitting on the floor, staring at it with his hands folded in his lap.

"Hey there, Tony," Sportsmaster greeted. "I have information concerning your daughter's _activities_."

The man smiled wickedly and looked up at his friend. "Tell me; what has my little girl been up to?" he asked.

* * *

 **I hope you liked it!**

 **Please feel free to leave a review! Constructive criticism is welcome! :)**


	6. Chapter 6: Illusions

**Hi, everyone! I'm back! :) Hopefully, this chapter makes up for my absence. I'm so sorry for being gone so long; I lost inspiration for this story and worked on my other stories; they're not posted on here though. I'll probably post them in the future. :) Anyway, I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

 **Thank you so much,** **Mira SeverusSiruis Black-Snape. I'm so sorry for the long wait. I hope this makes up for it. Let me know what you think. :)**

 **Thank you to everyone who had follow/favorite it while I was gone; I was actually really surprised to see that some people did follow/favorite it after I've been gone for so long.**

 **Thank you again everyone! :)**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** **I don't own Young Justice. I only own my OCs. I also don't own Jackie's superhero name; it belongs to a friend of mine and they gave me full permission to use it. All rights go to their respective owners. :)**

* * *

Gotham City

September 10th, 4:03 pm.

"Mom, I'm home!" Jackie yelled and closed the door behind her.

"Hi, sweetie," her mother greeted and wheeled into the room. "How was school?"

"Boring as usual," she replied and turned to face her mother. "Except for lunch; Dick introduced me to his friend Barbara; she's really sweet."

Her mother nodded. "That's nice, honey. Do you have homework?"

The teen sighed. "Yeah."

"You should get started right now then."

The teen raised a skeptical brow at her. "You want me to head to the Cave later, don't you?"

Jennifer smiled. "Yes."

She exaggerated a long sigh, causing her mother to roll her eyes. "Fine."

"Good." Her mother turned her wheelchair around and started rolling over to her bedroom. "Tell me when you leave tonight."

"No problem, Mom," the teen replied and walked into her bedroom.

She set her bag down on her bed and closed her bedroom door then closed the curtains on her window. She flipped on the light switch and walked over to her bed. She pulled out a cardboard box, a small box of thumb tacks, and her computer out from underneath. She set all of it on top of her bed and started pinning up every valuable piece of information on each of her Team members, especially anything that could be a motive for them to betray the Team.

She felt bad for lying to her mom, but she needed to know if there was a mole on the Team, especially if this mole could find out her identity and contact her father.

She turned on her laptop and brought up numerous articles on each Team member. She took a step back as she examined her work.

It couldn't of been Robin. He was so kind and had a good heart. Though he was mischievous and immature, he was still caring and considerate of others. Then again, he could want to rebel against Batman, right? He also hasn't revealed his identity; maybe Sportsmaster found who he was and was blackmailing him? She sighed again; Batman would have figured out if Robin was giving information to Sportsmaster on the Team's missions.

Kid Flash couldn't be the mole. Yes, he was intelligent; he could figure out a way to betray the Team and not get caught. But he just didn't seem like the type of person to do that. He was kind, caring, flirty, and pretty cute, in Jackie's opinion.

What if it was M'gann? Sure, she was new to Earth but did that mean she was willing to give intel on the Team to any villain that asked? She was so sweet though and obviously cared about their fellow Team members and considered Martian Manhunter family, so it couldn't be her.

What about Artemis? She has a bit of a temper and is willing to stick up for herself if need be. She has a lot of secrets too, Jackie noticed. For example, she hasn't revealed what her last name was. The seventeen year old sighed again; she hasn't revealed her secret identity to anyone either, so she couldn't use that against her. Maybe the archer did something awful in the past and Sportsmaster found out, so she gave information to him in order to keep what she did a secret?

Then there was Superboy. He was hot-headed, strong, and brave. He was the clone of Superman, created to destroy him if need be, according to the information Batman told her a day before she joined the Team. Maybe he was also programmed to give information on the Team to Sportsmaster? But he was loyal to the Team; why would he betray the only friends he had? Maybe he was doing it without knowing it?

Jackie didn't count Aqualad as a suspect; he did say that he would look into whoever the mole was, which meant that he wasn't the mole, right? Why would he betray the Team? He was the leader for goodness sake! And he certainly wouldn't betray Aquaman, his King. She just knew it couldn't be him.

She groaned in frustration and looked at her clock, which made her eyes widen as she saw two hours had passed. "Uh oh," she muttered and started putting everything back under her bed quickly, knowing she was late for swimming lessons with Aqualad and Robin.

After five minutes, a knock sounded on her window, making her hit her head on the piece of wood that was holding up her mattress. She rubbed her head to hopefully make the pain go away as she climbed out from underneath her bed and walked over to the window. She drew back the curtains and smiled sheepishly at Robin, who was frowning slightly. She unlocked it and opened it for him to climb inside.

"Why aren't you dressed and ready for swim lessons?" he questioned and crossed his arms. "You were supposed to be there an hour ago!"

She held up her hands halfway in an attempt to calm him. "I know, I know. I just lost track of time. Is it okay if I come by now?" she asked and smiled sweetly, hoping he would give in.

He smirked. "That depends; are you willing to stay an extra hour, Sparkle?"

She sighed and crossed her arms. "Fine, but we're sparring on the way there."

He grinned. "Deal."

She smiled and turned to walk towards her closet but stopped and widened her eyes when she saw a newspaper article of Aqualad and Aquaman she found yesterday, and she realized she forgot to put it away. Robin followed her gaze and only received a brief glance of the article before Jackie snatched it up and kept her back to him.

He smirked. "What's that?"

She turned around and hid the article behind her back. "Um, nothing," she squeaked out then berated herself for her slip-up.

"You're a terrible liar, Sparkle." He started walking towards her, and she started walking towards her bedroom door in response. "What are you hiding?"

"Again, nothing."

"Uh huh."

Her back hit her door, and, before he could get any closer, she opened it and ran out. He chased after her, cackling for a moment. She raced to the kitchen and stayed behind one end of the kitchen table and he on the other. She kept the paper hidden as he held out his hand to her.

"Show me, Sparkle," he ordered then smirked. "Or I'll be forced to take drastic measures."

She scoffed. "What kind of 'drastic measures', Genius?"

He grinned and jumped on top of the small table, causing her to gasp and run towards the exit. Before she entered through, though, he jumped on top of her back, making her stumble forwards. The Boy Wonder's hand reached for the paper as she held it out at an arm's length and tried to keep herself from falling forward.

"Genius, get off!" she exclaimed and took a few steps backwards.

"Only if you let me see the paper, Sparkle!"

She groaned in annoyance and was going to say something else until they heard, "Jackie, what are you-?" They both looked up at the new voice to see Jennifer had rolled out of her room and entered into the kitchen. "Oh," Jennifer continued and smirked. "Well, this is amusing."

Jackie and Robin shared a glance with each other before he jumped off and walked over to her mother, holding out his hand. "Hello, Ms. Morris. It's a pleasure to see you again," he greeted and smiled.

Her mother smiled too and shook his hand. "It's a pleasure to see you as well, Robin," she replied and looked over at Jackie. "What were you two doing?"

"Nothing, Mom. We were just-," Jackie began.

"She was hiding something from me, and I was trying to find out what _this_ was," Robin interrupted and smirked at the teen girl as he raised up his hand, which was holding up the article she had only moments ago.

The seventeen year old gasped and looked at her hands, which were now empty. She looked up at him in astonishment. "How could you have possibly taken that without my knowledge of it?"

He smirked wider. "Training," he answered simply and turned the paper over to look at it. "An article on Aqualad and Aquaman? Why were you trying to keep this from me?"

"Aqualad," her mother repeated and smirked teasingly. "I wonder why you have an article on Aqualad, Jackie."

The teen girl rubbed the back of her neck nervously as she felt her face heat up. "It's just a homework assignment for school."

Robin and Jennifer shared a glance before looking back at Jackie. "Really?" Robin mused and smiled mischievously. "You don't have this for any other reason?"

She gulped and averted her eyes away from theirs. "Nope. It's just a homework assignment."

"What do you have to do?"

"Um, I just have to write an essay on it. No big deal."

"Really?"

She glared slightly and placed her hands on her hips. "Yes, Robin."

He shrugged. "I just don't see why you'd go through all that trouble of keeping this from me if it was for school."

She sighed and narrowed her eyes. "Just forget it, Genius. Let's go."

The Boy Wonder and her mother shared a glance again before he shrugged. "Okay, Sparkle," he replied and walked out of the kitchen, handing Jennifer the article as he did so.

Jackie would have followed him if her mother didn't grab her arm, stopping her from walking. "What's up, Mom?"

"We were just teasing, Jackie; don't take it so personal," she whispered.

"Don't worry, Mom. I'm not."

She nodded and let her go. Jackie walked right past her and over to her closet. She quickly put on her uniform, packed a bag of spare clothes, and walked out to be met with the sight of Robin waiting by the window. He smiled once he saw she was ready and jumped out then climbed the fire escape. She climbed out the window, locked it, and flew up to the roof of her apartment complex where the Boy Wonder was waiting.

He smirked as he crossed his arms. "Ready to spar?"

She smirked. "Let's see if we can actually have a winner this time and not a tie."

"Don't worry. I'll make sure to win."

The teen girl rolled her eyes and fired up her electricity. "Bring it on."

* * *

Mount Justice

06: 45 EST

Jackie walked through the Zeta-Tube, staring at her cuffed hands in disbelief. "How?" she asked, astonished.

Robin came through the Tube next and stood next to her, grabbing her hands and unlocking the cuffs. "Better luck next time, Sparkle."

She huffed and glared slightly. "You've been holding back on me, haven't you?"

He smirked and put the cuffs back in his utility belt. "No, _you_ were the one holding back," he replied.

She smirked slightly. "Fine, I won't go so easy on you next time."

He nodded and pulled on her arm to get her to start following him towards the Hangar. "Kaldur's waiting for us in the Hangar."

She nodded. "Okay, but I want to drop my bag off in the girls locker room first."

"Okay."

Robin and Electra separated as she walked to the girls locker room. She placed her backpack in one of the lockers and walked over to the Hangar. When she reached the entrance, she stopped when she saw Kaldur with his hand on Robin's shoulder and his head was bent low to Robin, and they were talking at a whisper. She tilted her head slightly in confusion as she raised her eyebrow skeptically at the scene before her. She quietly and slowly walked over to them. Unfortunately, after a few moments, Robin turned his head in her direction and smiled.

"Hey, Sparkle," he greeted, making Kaldur'ahm turn to look over at her as well. "Sneaking up on us, are you?"

She smiled sheepishly. "No, I just didn't want to disturb you," she replied and stopped right in front of them.

The Atlantean smiled gently. "I see. Are you ready?" he asked and gestured to the water.

She nodded and took off her shoes, socks, gloves, and jacket. "Let's do this."

He nodded and held out his hand for her to take. She grabbed a hold of it and followed him into the water with Robin close behind. Before they moved deeper into the water, Kaldur'ahm turned around to face her. "I wanted to try something different today," he informed. "I wanted you to try to swim without holding onto me."

Her eyes widened. "But we've only been doing this for two days! What if I freak out and end up using my electricity? Or what if the rebreather doesn't work? Or what if-"

"I will still be beside you," the Atlantean assured. "If we haven't surfaced in five minutes, Robin will know something went wrong and come for us."

She sighed and looked back at Robin when he placed a hand on her shoulder. "We won't let anything happen to you," he reassured and squeezed her shoulder gently. "I promise."

She bit her lip and looked out towards the water. She knew she could trust them to not let anything happen to her, but with her swimming on her own? That was a huge step forward. She knew Aqualad would be beside her the entire time, and she would only have to do it for five minutes, but what if something went wrong?

She closed her eyes and clenched her fists. No, she had to do this. For the sake of any underwater missions and for her to recover; she had to overcome this fear.

She opened her eyes and looked up at Kaldur'ahm. "Just for five minutes. Not a second longer."

He smiled gently and gestured towards the water. "Then let's start the lesson." He looked at Robin. "Start the timer when we dive in."

Robin nodded and handed Jackie a rebreather. She thanked him and trudged deeper into the water with Kaldur'ahm right beside her. Once the water hit Jackie's chest, she placed the rebreather in her mouth and dove in with Aqualad.

"Keep calm, Jackie. You can do this," she thought to herself as she remembered to start kicking her legs and using her arms to push the water behind her. She kept looking back at Aqualad to reassure herself she wasn't alone. Each time she did, he smiled at her and nodded, letting her know she was doing great.

Involuntarily, she smiled gratefully at him, almost losing the rebreather.

Once the five minutes were up, she and Aqualad swam up to the surface. When her head rose out of the water, she took out the rebreather and took in many large breaths. "Good job, Electra!" Robin yelled out. "You did it!"

"Yeah, I guess I did," she muttered and looked back at Aqualad, who smiled at her. "Want to do it again?"

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I thought you didn't want to do it for longer than five minutes."

"Yeah, but practice makes perfect."

He nodded once at her and turned to look at Robin. "Another five minutes, Robin."

The Boy Wonder nodded. "No problem!"

She placed the rebreather back in her mouth and dove back underwater, Aqualad following from behind this time.

Strangely, she felt better the more she swam by herself. It was still scary to do it, of course, but she wasn't as scared as she was the first time she swam with Aqualad. It was as if she was learning to not be afraid; to not give into the fear her dad forced her to have. She sighed inwardly at the relief she felt that she was finally letting go.

Unfortunately, that relief didn't last long; thoughts of her past forcefully entered her mind. She gasped as she heard the screams, the shouts, _his_ electricity firing up. Her eyes widened when she saw her father electrocute her after a long day at work. Her mother screaming at him to stop. Her crying painfully as she felt the surges of electricity run through her small body.

A choked gasp escaped her, and she didn't even register that it caused her rebreather to fall out. She stopped swimming and clutched her head as she tried to make these thoughts go away, but they wouldn't leave. Why the heck was she thinking about them now? Where were they even coming from?

She suddenly found herself in her old bedroom and jumped when she heard her mother scream. She rushed to the door and threw it open. Immediately, she spotted her mother unconscious on the floor and her father standing above her. He noticed her presence and looked up at her with a smirk.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. She's just resting," he assured, and she glared.

"Leave her alone!" she demanded, ignoring that her voice sounded younger and a little bit squeaky.

He walked over to her, and she backed up in response, trying to get her electricity to fire up, but she couldn't find it inside of her. "I don't think we've trained today, my little Jackie," he commented. "Let's start."

She glared again and desperately searched for her electricity, flight, even her telepathy, but she still couldn't feel them. He, though, found his electric powers and punched her square in the jaw, causing her to fall down and clutch her face in pain as the electric punch surged throughout her face. He pulled her up by her hair and threw her to the other side of the room. She hit a mirror, causing it to shatter, and fell on the floor, feeling blood trickle down her face.

"Get up!" she heard her father yell. "If you're going to be like me, you need to learn to fight!"

Two hands grabbed her shoulders, and she gasped as she, for some reason, felt herself drowning and felt someone wrap their hands around her waist and pull her up. She struggled to get out of their hold and when she no longer felt like she was underwater, she elbowed her father in the nose, causing him to let go as he clutched his nose, seemingly in pain.

She tried to make a run for it, but he grabbed her waist and lifted her over his shoulder as he started walking towards her bedroom. "No! Put me down! Let me go!" she screamed as tears threatened to fall out of her eyes. She had to keep them in though; if her father saw them, he would go twice as hard on her.

He set her down gently on the bed, and she took her chance and aimed a kick at him. He caught her foot and quickly pinned her shoulders down. "Electra, stop!" he demanded, and she froze when she noticed his voice didn't sound rough and scratchy; it sounded like Aqualad's.

She glared, thinking he must be trying to fool her to catch her off-guard. She struggled and tried pushing him off her. "Let me go!" she screamed and tried wrapping her legs around his neck, but an unknown source grabbed her legs and held them down.

"Electra!" Robin's voice yelled at her. "Stop! Please!"

"No!" she yelled back.

Finally, after so much struggling and using a lot of her strength, she managed to find her electricity and fired it up. She grabbed his forearms and electrocuted him with as much power as she could muster. Luckily and, yet, strangely, he and the unknown source jerked away from her, and he got off the bed. She stood on top of her bed and fired up more electricity, hoping it would stay with her.

Before she fired at him, though, her eyes glanced to the ground to take notice that her father didn't have a shadow. She raised a confused brow at him, and looked down at herself to see she didn't have one either. She looked back up at him to see that he had taken a few steps back and wasn't glaring, or angry; he looked concerned and confused.

She powered down and got off the bed as she watched him to see if he would try to attack. He didn't; instead, he held his hands up to her in a calming gesture. "Electra," he sternly spoke. "We are not your enemies."

Now none of this made any sense to her. Why wasn't he attacking? Why didn't he have a shadow? What was wrong with him?

"I don't understand," she stated, noting that her voice was still squeaky. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing's wrong with us. You're the one that attacked!" Robin's voice yelled out.

She narrowed her eyes. "You started it!" she yelled back.

Her father glanced over to his right before looking back at her. "We did not, Electra," he softly replied. "You attacked first."

She shook her head slightly and her eyes caught sight of herself in the mirror above her desk. Her eyes widened in realization once she saw her younger ten year old self in it.

"Of course," she muttered. "It's an illusion."

There were no shadows in the room, her father wasn't attacking, and she was young. It was all an illusion; someone was using the concept of illusion manipulation to manipulate her. Why didn't she figure it out before when she first heard her voice?

She growled; who the heck could have put her in such an illusion and why? One person came to mind and that was her father, but he was in prison; he couldn't be responsible for this. Not to mention, she should be out of his range; he couldn't hurt her from where she was.

She sighed. She had to get out of this and the only way to do that was to get herself out, like her father had mentioned to her once or twice when he had used his illusions on her before.

Unfortunately, she never could get out of his illusions, but in this case it was different. He wasn't that close to her, which meant this illusion was weak. She had a fighting chance to get out.

She closed her eyes and tried to pull herself out of it. Her head throbbed in pain as she started breaking through the chains that kept her in that illusion. When her head started spinning, she opened her eyes and fell on her knees. A slim figure knelt down in front of her, and she barely had time to register that it was Aqualad before slumping forward, feeling him catch her, and blacking out.

* * *

Jackie jumped from building to building in California, hoping she was doing well tonight. Even though she found these training sessions useless, her father had always forced her to train with her in payment of him not beating her mother that night. She jumped off of a tall office building and her hands reached for a nearby stoplight. After grasping on, she swung herself up and around it once before perching herself on top of it.

Quickly scanning her surroundings, she realized she had gotten to the half-way point faster than she did their last training session. "Hallelujah," she muttered, smiling a bit. If she had gotten here first than her father was still behind from his position, and she could keep going without him.

She sighed in relief; she could also go through this training session without her father electrocuting her if she made it to the end point before he found her. That was a part of the deal, according to him.

She stood and turned around before preparing herself to jump. Before she could though, the sound of electric sparks reached her ears and she glanced to her right to see one of her father's electric balls coming straight for her. Her eyes widened, and she quickly jumped down to avoid getting hit. She landed on an abandoned street and watched as the ball hit the stop light, causing its lights to blink several times in protest before going out.

She sighed in frustration now; her father had found her or he'd been waiting for her to show up, which meant she didn't have that much of a chance to make it to the end point and that meant he would use his electricity when fighting her.

She whipped around when she heard him jump down from his position. She prepared herself as much as she could but considering the fact that she didn't have electricity, telepathy, or flight like her father, she was a goner.

She squinted at him when he stood up from off the ground and watched as he stepped out of the shadows he normally liked to hide in. "Excellent job, Jackie," he praised and smirked at her. "You made it to this point faster than you normally would; that means you've improved since our last training session."

"Yeah, well, I'm trying to get better for a reason," she replied and got into a fighting stance. Though her father might think her reasoning was for her to be like him, she was trying to get better so she could take her mother and run to get away from him.

He smirked. "One day, sweetheart, you'll be just like me, and I will be very proud of you."

She had to resist the urge to scoff at him as she narrowed her eyes. "Are we going to do this or what?"

He nodded and flew up into the air. Thinking he was going to fire more electricity balls at her, she prepared herself to dodge him. But, unexpectedly and before she could think about running, he flew down at her, faster than she's seen him fly, and grabbed her neck as he flew them both up in the air. After they were up above the tallest building in the neighborhood they were in, he stopped and smirked at her.

"We both know you wouldn't win anyway, sweetheart," he whispered, his voice raspy. That was the only warning she got before electricity surged through her neck before moving to the rest of her body. She screamed and grabbed his hand as she attempted to pry him away from her, but it only made him increase the intensity of his electricity on her.

Right before she felt herself slip into unconsciousness, she heard her father sigh disapprovingly, and then her vision became black.

* * *

08: 32 EST

Jackie's eyes shot open as she quickly sat up and let out exasperated breaths. Her eyes quickly scanned the room before realizing she wasn't in California; she was in the medical bay at the Cave. She sighed in relief and looked over to her right to see a chair next to her bedside. Wondering who sat there previously, she looked towards the door to look out the windows and saw Aqualad and Robin both discussing something with Batman.

She untangled herself from the blanket she had gotten herself trapped in and stood out of bed. Her knees wobbled a bit as she struggled to stay standing. She had forgotten that when she had attempted to get out of illusions in the past, she would always be really weak and slightly dizzy afterwards. She took one step forward but quickly realized that was a mistake when she fell down, landing on her knees. She looked up to see Batman glance at her and walk away from Kaldur'ahm and Robin before entering the medical bay.

He knelt down in front of her before grabbing her arm and placing it around his shoulders. Understanding what he was trying to do, she wrapped her other arm around his shoulders too and grasped onto her other hand as he wrapped his arms around her back and under her knees before picking her up and placing her back on the bed. She let go and looked over to the doorway to see Kaldur'ahm and Robin standing there, staring at her.

She smiled sheepishly at them when she remembered they had witnessed her react to an illusion. She knew she needed to apologize and explain what had happened. Before she could say anything, though, Batman placed a hand on her shoulder and looked over to the boys.

"Leave us," he ordered sternly.

The boys glanced at each other before leaving the med-bay, Aqualad closing the door behind them.

Jackie bit her lip and looked up at Batman, who looked back at her. She looked down and held her hands in her lap. "I'm guessing they told you about what happened?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied and crossed his arms. "I want your perspective on what occurred in the Hangar."

"Are there cameras in here?"

"No."

"Is anyone with super-hearing around?"

"No."

She sighed. "I got stuck in an illusion," she began. "When I was younger, my father used to train me with illusions. He would put me in one and I would, occasionally, have to fight him. I always lost or never fought him the way he wanted me to, so he would put me in another and another until I did something right.

"But that wasn't the problem. The problem was that, most of the time, I thought they were real. In this one, I thought my mom was actually hurt, I didn't notice that I wasn't seventeen, and I didn't see that my father wasn't trying to hurt me until after I had electrocuted him."

"You electrocuted Aqualad," Batman stated, and Jackie sunk down a bit. "According to both Robin and Aqualad, you had electrocuted Aqualad when he and Robin had you pinned down, causing both of them to jump away in fear that you wouldn't stop."

"I thought I was fighting my father," she whispered. "I didn't know I was fighting Robin and Aqualad."

"Well now you do." He uncrossed his arms. "How did you get stuck in an illusion?"

She sighed again. "At first, I thought it was my father, but he's not at a close enough range since he's in jail." He nodded but didn't say anything, so she continued, "And I haven't had my telepathy for that long, but do you think I could've put myself in an illusion?"

"Has your father ever taught you how to put others in an illusion?"

"Yes, several times, but I could never create them since I didn't have telepathy back then."

His eyes narrowed. "You're not at a very high level of telepathy, Electra, but I will ask Martian Manhunter about the possibility of having the capability to create your own illusions."

Her eyes widened and she sat up straighter. "You're going to tell him I have telepathy? But I don't want anyone else to know!"

He glared at her, and she immediately shrunk back down again. "You haven't told the rest of the Team?" he questioned, his voice a bit lower than usual.

She looked back down. "Not yet."

"You have to."

"Why? There's already a telepath on the team; the Team doesn't need to know there's another."

"For all we know, your telepathy could be very different from Miss Martian's. If that's the case, the Team could use that ability to help with missions. You need to tell them."

She sighed. "Is that what I'm supposed to tell the Team? That I'm a telepath possibly capable of conjuring up dangerous illusions? That's not a trustworthy trait."

"Not telling them isn't a trustworthy move," he retorted.

She sighed again. "Fine, I'll tell them," she muttered. "Eventually."

"Electra."

"I want to know if I'm actually capable of conjuring up dangerous illusions first before I say something, alright?"

He glared at her for a long five seconds before replying, "Fine, but if you're going to get your answer, I need to talk to Martian Manhunter about the possibility, which means the name Electra might come up."

She groaned. "Fine."

He nodded once before walking over to the doorway. He stopped before he left and turned to face her. "I will discuss it with him the next time I see him, and I will speak to you privately about it later on."

"Alright."

He left, and she let out a breath she hadn't realized she needed to release.

Was it possible for her to conjure up illusions for herself? Electra wished she knew the answer and wondered if her father knew if he could do it. If he did, why would he never tell her?

* * *

10: 15 EST

Jackie didn't come out of her room until she was certain she could walk on her own. Plus, she had soaked the hospital bed with her wet clothes, and it was uncomfortable for her to lay on.

Hoping no one would be in the main control room, she walked in. Luckily for her, no one was there. As fast as her legs could carry her, she hurried over to the Zeta-Tubes and activated one, punching in 'Gotham City' into its system, so she could go home. She knew she was leaving a bag of clothes behind but figured she would get them the next time she came back to the Cave.

"Recognized: Electra: B-0-8," the computer rang out, and she walked towards it.

"Electra!" Robin's voice rang out a few feet behind her, and she looked behind her to see Aqualad and Robin both running over to her. She walked through the Zeta-Tube, ignoring their calls for her to stop, and closed her eyes until she knew she was in Gotham again.

Opening the telephone booth, she walked out, and took a few steps forward until she looked behind her when a bright light shone from behind. She saw the Zeta-Tube had activated, and in that moment, she knew Robin was trying to follow her.

Wanting to avoid him and the questions he would ask concerning the event that occurred earlier, she took to the air. Thankfully, she was strong enough to fly for now. Knowing Robin would go to her apartment first, she passed the apartment and headed west of it. She didn't know where she was going to go, but as long as she was away from Robin, it didn't matter.

After a short time, though, her body exhausted itself, and she was forced to land. She landed on top of an abandoned office building. "Lucky me," she thought and went inside, figuring she could hide here until she knew Robin would have left her apartment.

She dragged herself over to a dusty couch and laid down on it. A few minutes of rest wouldn't kill her, she thought. After all, she needed it right now. She closed her eyes, not realizing that she desperately needed rest.

* * *

Gotham City

September 11th, 9:32 am.

Jackie woke up when she felt a cold breeze brush against her and her body shivering from something damp. Her hand reached for her blanket, but to her surprise she couldn't find it. She opened her eyes and that's when realization hit her as she looked at the boarded up window on the other side of the room; she wasn't in her room; she had crashed here to avoid Robin and his questions.

She turned over and looked at the clock above her, it reading that it was a little past nine-thirty. "Oh, it's Saturday morning," she mumbled and closed her eyes to go back to sleep. "That's nice."

After ten seconds, her eyes shot open and she sat up. "It's morning?!" she exclaimed.

She quickly jumped off the couch, noting her strength was back, and flew out an open window. Her mom was going to kill her, she thought. She didn't go back home at all last night; her mom must be worried sick.

She looked down occasionally to make sure no one had spotted her flying in the sky. She wouldn't want someone to report that a flying girl in a costume was seen flying to her apartment; that would not sit well with her mother and Batman.

Landing on the fire escape by her window, she unlocked it and climbed through. She took off her mask and changed into some pajamas, hoping she could fool her mother into thinking she had gotten home a little after eleven. But the chances that her mother would believe her were practically zero.

She walked out of her room and stopped in the living room where she saw her mother sitting in her wheelchair with her head down low and a cup of hot chocolate on the coffee table. The teen walked over to her and noticed her mother had fallen asleep. She also noticed that there was a phone in her lap and picked it up to see that 9-1-1 was punched into it but it was never dialed; meaning she didn't call the police to report that the teen was missing.

Jackie sighed inwardly; she had worried her mother to the point of her attempting to stay up all night to wait for her daughter to come home. "I'm sorry, Mom," she muttered and gently placed the phone down on the table.

She wheeled her into her mother's bedroom and placed the wheelchair by her bedside. Being careful not to wake her, she picked her mother up slowly and placed her gently on the bed. She took off her mother's converse and put them on the ground then placed a blanket over her to keep her warm. She crawled into the bed and curled up next to her, like she used to do as a child, and waited until her mother woke up.

After a few hours, Jennifer mumbled something incoherent, and Jackie looked up at her, wondering if she knew she was next to her. "Mom?" she whispered.

Her mother opened her eyes and looked to her left to see her. Her eyes widened and she brought Jackie closer to her, hugging her tightly. "Jackie, my Jackie, you're okay!" her mother exclaimed before pulling away and examining her daughter. "You are okay, right?"

Jackie smiled gently. "Yes, Mom. I'm fine."

"Oh, good." Jennifer smiled before her expression turned to anger and she glared. "Now where have you been?! I've been worried sick! When Robin came looking for you last night, I told him you were probably with your friend Dick. He didn't believe me, but he left anyway, claiming to go looking for you. I almost called the police! I was even tempted to call Batman and demand that he needed to send the Team out to find you!"

"Mom!" Jackie exclaimed.

"You were missing, Jackie! I would have had every right to demand it!"

The teen sighed. "I'm sorry, Mom. I didn't mean to worry you."

Now it was her mother's turn to sigh as her glare softened. "I know, honey, but it still isn't right to worry me like that. Do you have any idea how many times I called you, texted you, and felt powerless when you didn't answer?"

Her phone! The teen didn't even realize she didn't have it! It was back at the Cave in her backpack! She hoped no one found it while she was gone.

The seventeen year old looked down but her mother gently tilted her chin up to face her. "Where were you, sweetheart? What happened?" she whispered, her eyes watering.

Jackie's lip quivered and her eyes watered as she stared up at her mother. Sensing her daughter's distress, Jennifer pulled her into her arms once more and rubbed her back in circles. The teen cried in her mother's embrace as she explained everything that happened from the time she met Cheshire again to the possibility of a traitor on the Team then to the illusion she possibly created for herself.

Her mother stayed silent throughout her daughter's entire explanation, listening to every word with great intent. "I'm so so sorry, Mom," Jackie repeated for the seventh time. "I'm so sorry."

"When was the last time you saw Cheshire?" Jennifer asked, thinking it was the right time to ask questions.

"Five days ago," her daughter responded weakly.

"Does she know if Sportsmaster recognized you?"

"No, Mom. She doesn't know and neither do I."

Her mother sighed into her daughter's hair, the teen feeling the cold feeling of her breath on her, before stating, "If he did recognize you and told your father then he would have come for us by now. I think it's safe to say, we're safe."

"I hope you're right."

"Who else knows about the possibility of there being a traitor on the Team?" her mother asked, changing the subject.

"Aqualad and Red Arrow do."

"Red Arrow?"

"He used to go by Speedy."

Her mother made a silent 'oh' as she understood. "What is Aqualad doing about it?"

"He's investigating the other Team members quietly."

"I wouldn't tell Aqualad then," her mother stated. "It could make you look suspicious."

"I probably already look suspicious; I attacked him and Robin without explanation for my actions then ran away to avoid their questions!"

Her mother hummed. "You need to talk to them."

"But what would I say? I don't know if I'm going to tell them about my illusions yet!"

"It would be in your best interest if you told them about your telepathy," her mother replied. "I'm sure Aqualad would understand and not be so suspicious of you if you did."

Jackie sighed. "Fine," she groaned. "What should do I do about this illusion then? Do you think it's even possible that I could conjure up an illusion for myself?"

"I don't know, Jackie," her mother replied as she continued rubbing her daughter's back. "Your father didn't tell me much about his superpowers. You knew more than I did, sweetheart."

The teen sighed and wiped away more tears that had escaped her eyes. Jennifer brushed away some hair that had fallen in her daughter's face before hearing her stomach growl.

"Oh dear. You've been out all night; you're probably starving. What do you want to eat? Pancakes?" her mother questioned.

"Only if it's Kyle's recipe."

Her mother smirked. "Yes, it's Kyle's recipe. Don't worry, I won't poison you with _my_ horrid recipes," she teased.

"Mom," Jackie groaned.

She kissed her daughter's forehead. "I'm just teasing, honey. Let's get you something to eat."

* * *

 **Is there more to Jackie's telepathy than she, her mother, and Batman originally thought? Could her father somehow be involved? Does Aqualad consider her more of a suspect after her unexpected attack on him and Robin? Find out soon! :)**

 **Again, I'm so sorry for the wait. Hopefully this makes up for it.**

 **Please feel free to leave a review! Constructive criticism is welcome! :)**


	7. Chapter 7: Telepathy revealed?

**Hello everyone! I hope you guys had a great time over the holidays and during New Years. Honestly, it doesn't feel like a new year; it still feels like it's 2016. Weird, huh? :P**

 **Anyway, thank you to those who favorite/followed my story over the holidays. I hope everyone enjoys this short chapter. The next one will be long I promise. :)**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** **I don't own Young Justice. I only own my OCs. I also don't own Jackie's superhero name; it belongs to a friend of mine and they gave me full permission to use it. All rights go to their respective owners. :)**

* * *

Mount Justice

September 11th, 07:03 EST.

"Recognized: Electra: B-0-8," the computer announced as said-girl walked out of the Zeta-Tube and cautiously looked around for any sign of Aqualad or Robin.

She didn't want to be here but when she told her mother that she left her phone and a spare of clothes here, her mom had threatened to ground her if she didn't at least get her phone back since Jackie not having her phone resulted in her mother worrying about her all night last night. She sighed; she knew her mother just wanted her to be safe, but she didn't want to be around any of the young superheroes until she decided on whether or not she was going to tell them about her telepathy and the possibility of creating illusions.

"Okay, this will be easy," she thought as she cautiously took a few steps forward, standing a little bit out in the open. "All I have to do is sneak around until I get to the girls locker room, grab my bag, run back to the Zeta-Tubes, and not get caught; simple, right?"

"Electra!"

She flinched visibly as her eyes widened. "Great," she muttered sarcastically once her mind registered whose voice that belonged to. She plastered on a smile and turned around only to be taken by surprise when her teammate rammed into her and wrapped her arms around her. "M'gann!"

Said-martian let her go and smiled softly. "I haven't seen you in a while. How are you?" she asked.

Electra rubbed the back of her neck and shrugged. "I'm alright, I guess. Just pushing through life, you know?"

M'gann nodded. "Are you here for training? I don't think Black Canary's here, but I know Robin is. I can go get him for-"

"No, no! I'm just here to grab something of mine," Jackie interrupted and shifted her body weight onto her right leg as she crossed her arms. "Where is that Boy Wonder anyway?"

"I think he's in the kitchen with Wally."

"Oh, well, if he leaves, can you tell me where he's going?"

M'gann looked at her curiously. "Why?"

"Well, it's a, uh, training exercise. He's teaching me how to be more stealthy, so I can sneak around more often on missions?"

The martian stared at her for a few moments, and Jackie wondered if she was reading her mind or not, but she shrugged and smiled gently. "Sure, I'll tell you where he's going."

The older teen suppressed the urge to let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, M'gann. I'm trying really hard to not get caught by him _and_ Kaldur so let me know if you see either one of them."

"Kaldur?"

"Yeah, he's in on it too! I've gotta go! I'll see you later!"

"Um, goodbye?"

Jackie hurried through the halls of the Cave, berating herself the entire time. Why was she so terrible at lying? Her father taught her how to lie; she should have it mastered by now.

The teen turned a corner and entered the girls locker room. She quickly took out her bag and checked its contents. After seeing the spare clothes and her phone, she sighed in relief and zipped up the bag.

"Electra."

She yelped and whirled around only to realize it was M'gann calling out to her telepathically. "Yes, M'gann?" she telepathically asked and started walking towards the exit with her backpack in hand.

"Robin just left the kitchen. He said he was going to go look for Kaldur."

"Which direction did he go in?" she asked as she peeked her head past the doorway of the locker room.

"Towards the main control room."

The girl sighed in frustration; of all the places he could go to, it had to be the main control room?! The place for her to go to get home?! "Great," she muttered then sent a thank you to M'gann and asked if she'd seen Kaldur.

"No, I haven't, Electra. Good luck."

"I'm going to need it," she muttered and left the safety of the locker room before deciding to head to the Hangar; she knew there were two more Zeta-Tubes in there; if she could just get to them, she could leave without confrontation.

She was also taking a big risk by going there though, and she knew that; Aqualad could be there, and he could catch her before she made it to the Zeta-Tubes. Hopefully, luck was on her side today.

Once she made it to the Hangar, she peeked her head past the entryway to see if she could spot anyone. When her eyes spotted no one, she sighed in relief and stepped into the room. Quickening her pace, she hurried over to one of the Zeta-Tubes.

As soon as she was halfway there, a familiar cackle reached her ears, and she froze in her spot. "Robin," she muttered under her breath and did a quick scan of the room even though she knew she wouldn't find him. Slowly, she started walking towards the Zeta-Tubes, continuing to look for any sign of the boy.

She gasped when his cackle reached her ears again and whirled around when something landed right behind her. The boy she had been trying so hard to avoid smirked at her and stood up from his crouched position. She took a few steps back, and he tilted his head curiously at her. "So," he began and crossed his arms. "I'm teaching you how to be more stealthy now?"

She growled and glared at the floor. "Darn it, M'gann," she muttered, knowing the martian saw through her lie and told Robin.

"Well, if I am then I have to tell you that you're going to need some tutoring 'cause your stealthy skills are not good."

"Oh, thanks, _T_ _each_." she replied sarcastically.

He smirked wider. "Speaking of lessons, you're late for your swimming one _again_."

She rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "I was busy," she replied.

"Busy?" he questioned and took a few steps towards her as she took a few steps back. "Doing what?"

"Oh, you know, _stuff_." She suppressed the urge to face-palm as she thought, "Stuff? Really? Was that the best you could come up with?"

"What kind of stuff?"

"Helping my mom."

"Really?"

"Yep."

"What were you helping her with?"

"Cleaning."

"All night last night and all day today?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Yes."

"Oh, well, I visited your apartment yesterday and you weren't there."

"That's because I went to the grocery store before I went home."

"At two in the morning?"

She bit her lip and looked down. Apparently, he didn't drop by her apartment first when he followed her; he looked for her around the city before going to see her mom. She nodded slowly, watching him grin.

"So right after you left the Cave, you went to the grocery store with your superhero uniform on and stayed there until after two?"

She bit her lip harder and crossed her arms, feeling a bit uncomfortable as she nodded slowly once again.

"Huh," he mused and shrugged then started walking towards her and admired the way she backed away from him. "Well, now that that's settled let's start swimming lessons now."

"Now? Oh no, I can't right now."

"Why?"

"Well, I'm still cleaning my apartment," she responded, involuntarily letting a squeak slip out of her when she realized he backed her up to where she no longer had ground to walk on; just water floating right behind her in the pool.

He hummed and glanced at the water before shrugging and turning away from her. "Okay, Sparkle. Whatever you say."

She let out a silent breath of relief and, when she was about to walk away, he turned back around and tackled her, causing her to yelp in surprise as she dropped her bag and sent both of them into the pool. The cold water hit Jackie immediately, causing her to shiver involuntarily from it. She struggled to get him off of her as he pulled out two rebreathers and placed one in his mouth before giving her one.

She glared at him and tried pushing him off of her but she stopped when she saw the one person she definitely didn't want to see emerge from the shadows of the deep end and swim towards them. The Atlantean stopped right next to the pair, smiling a bit from how ridiculous they looked, before pulling Jackie away from Robin and, with a firm grip on her wrist, pulled her up to swim back towards the surface.

Once they emerged, the teen girl took out the rebreather and struggled to get out of Aqualad's grip. "Let go of me, Kaldur'ahm!" she demanded.

He pulled her closer to him and glanced at Robin as he emerged beside him before putting his full attention on her. "We have questions," he answered, getting to the point. "We want to know what happened yesterday."

"We tried talking to Batman about it, but he said you weren't ready to talk about it," Robin explained. "What's going on?"

"Like Batman said, I don't want to talk about it," she replied bitterly and narrowed her eyes. "Now let-"

"He also told us that what happened yesterday wasn't your fault," Robin interjected. "We don't blame you, and we're not angry."

"We are only confused," Kaldur'ahm added on before letting go of her wrist and placing his hands on her upper arms. "And concerned for your well-being."

Her glare softened as she stared at her leader. He was upset; she could see it in his pale-green eyes. The way he stared at her almost made her want to admit everything to him; her knowledge of the traitor on the Team, her friendship with Jade, her past, and her identity. But she knew that wouldn't be wise; he would definitely consider her a leading suspect if she did.

As for her powers? It might be for the best if she told him and Robin about that, like her mother told her. They wouldn't think she didn't trust them, but she was starting to; not completely trusting, of course, but she could tell they were trustworthy people. Also, Aqualad wouldn't have a second thought about her being the traitor; he would investigate the others more than he would her.

She sighed, making up her mind. "I-I have telepathy," she whispered. "I never told anyone, well, except my mom, but I never told anyone else."

Kaldur and Robin shared a glance. "How long?" the Boy Wonder asked.

"Since February," she responded.

"Your power, telepathy, was the reason why you had-" Kaldur started.

"Attacked you?" Jackie interrupted, finishing for him. "Yeah, I had possibly created an illusion for myself without knowing I could."

"So, in this illusion, you didn't think you were fighting us; you were fighting someone else?" Robin questioned.

"Yep, it was," she began, hesitated, then finished, "an old enemy."

"The one that gave you the scars?" Kaldur questioned softly, and she flinched in response, giving him his answer. He lifted her chin to look at her in the eyes. "What happened was an accident; you were only reacting to what the illusion showed you; you weren't doing it on your own free will."

"Yeah, I was," she protested. "I hurt you and Robin."

"But you didn't know it was us," Robin retorted. "You thought we were your enemies, or enemy if you were fighting one person, when we weren't."

She sighed. "I guess you're right," she admitted reluctantly. "But that doesn't make what I did right."

"It was out of your control," Kaldur assured. "Now that you are aware of your possible capability to create illusions, you can practice to be in control."

She shrugged. "Yeah, I guess I could."

"You should practice here, though," Kaldur suggested. "If you get stuck, one of us can help you break out."

She nodded and smiled a little. "Sounds like I'll be here more often."

"Sounds to me like an extra hour of training," Robin mused, smirking.

She groaned. "Let me guess, everyday after swimming lessons?"

"Oh yeah."

She sighed again. "Okay. Everyday it is then."

Robin grinned before frowning slightly. "And no more tardiness."

"I had an excuse today!" she protested, shoving his shoulder.

"An excuse? You just wanted to skip class," the boy teased.

She rolled her eyes. "Did not, genius."

"Did to, sparkle."

"Shall we start today's swimming lesson, Electra?" Aqualad asked, preventing her from arguing more with Robin.

She nodded and Aqualad let her go. When he dove under the water, she stuck her tongue out at Robin, who cackled at her childish act, before diving to catch up with the Atlantean.

* * *

9: 42 pm.

Jackie sighed in frustration and exited the telephone booth then proceeded to take off her mask and put it in her jeans pocket.

She had just finished training with Aqualad and Robin. Swimming went well but when she tried to create more illusions for herself, she couldn't do it. She stayed an extra thirty minutes to practice, but Aqualad soon sent her home, claiming she needed to rest her mind and that she needed to make sure to get at least eight hours of sleep to help with her concentration tomorrow.

She kept her hands in her pockets as she slowly walked to her apartment, feeling the chill of the cold night air and letting herself think.

Her, Aqualad, and Robin were becoming closer to each other, which was good, in her mind. She wanted to be friends with them, to trust them completely. Plus, she knew neither one of them could be the traitors. It just couldn't be them.

Aqualad didn't seem so suspicious of her too, she thought. Unless, of course, he was a good actor. That was okay, though; she told him the truth about what happened and if he still decided to be suspicious of her, that was fine; she wasn't the traitor and she knew it, so she didn't have to worry.

She still had to find the traitor though. Whoever they were, she had to figure out who they were before they figured out who she was. They could inform her father of where she and her mother were; that would be a terrible turning point in their lives.

Unlocking the door to her apartment, she walked in and closed it behind her, resting on it for a few moments before deciding to walk towards the kitchen to get something to snack on before she went to bed. She walked in, expecting to find her mom in there, but instead found Batman there.

She raised a curious brow at him. "Where's my mom?" she questioned him.

"I found her in her room; she's asleep," he answered and gestured to a chair. "Sit down, Miss Morris."

She stared at him for a few moments, debating if she should go check on her mom, but complied instead and sat down, trusting that she was alright. "What's up?" she asked, sitting back and crossing her arms.

"I spoke to Martian Manhunter," he answered. "He had never heard of someone creating illusions for themselves."

"So I didn't do it then? Create an illusion for myself?"

"I never said it wasn't possible." He sat down across from her. "Your father had the capability to create illusions for others. If you inherited that ability, there's a good chance you can use your telepathy the same way he can and possibly you can do more with it than he ever could."

"But I don't want to use it like he did, especially if I can do more than he could."

"You won't be harming others with it, like your father did, Miss Morris." He sat forward and folded his hands on the table. "You would be using it for good intentions. For example, if the Team ever needs a few criminals distracted, you could create illusions for the criminals while the Team finished carrying out the mission."

She nodded. "That doesn't sound so bad."

"It isn't," he replied then stood up. "If anything, it'll give you more practice with your illusions and help distract the enemy while other members of the Team are playing their part to complete the mission."

She sighed, a sudden thought coming to her. "There's just the problem of pulling myself out of the illusions and creating one willingly. Not to mention, what if I lose control of what happens in the illusions? I could seriously hurt someone if that happens."

"Practice makes perfect," he answered. "You have to practice so you can create your own illusions and stay in control."

She nodded again. "Robin and Aqualad both had volunteered to stay with me while I practice creating my illusions in case anything goes wrong, so I'll practice after swimming lessons."

"You told them?" he questioned.

"Yeah, a few hours ago."

"That was a trustworthy move, Miss Morris."

She smiled. "Yeah, well, we're a team. We can't be a team if we don't trust each other and if we're not honest with each other."

He nodded once then stood up from his seat. "Remember to go to the Cave tomorrow for training and therapy with Black Canary."

"As well as lessons with Robin and Aqualad. Got it."

The Dark Knight walked to the kitchen window. "Goodnight, Miss Morris."

"Goodnight."

* * *

California

September 12th, 10:10 pm.

"Six, five," Tony counted in his mind as he waited for a guard to enter his cell and tell him he was being transferred to Arkham Asylum in a week or two just like Sportsmaster had swore would happen to him once he found the right hacker. He smirked; he would be in the same city as his daughter. Sure, his ex-wife was there too, but it was his daughter that had finally developed electricity powers.

Judging by what Sportsmaster told him, his little girl needed training. Especially if she was going to become a villain like him.

He wasn't actually going to make it to Arkham, though; he was going to break out once he was halfway there. It was all part of the plan; Sportsmaster would send a few friends of his to aid him in his escape then he would take off in a helicopter and stay in hiding until the right moment to reveal himself to his baby girl came.

Yes, there was the possibility that his ex-wife and daughter would be alerted of his transfer, but he knew they would be told that he wouldn't get out and they thought he didn't know of their new last names, so he didn't have to worry about them leaving Gotham. Plus, his former colleagues were going to replace the guards on their trip and an old friend of his was going to shape-shift to look like him to take his place at Arkham to repay a favor he owed him.

"Four, three," he continued. "Two, one."

The sound of a door unlocking reached his ears, and he looked up to find his regular guard walk in with his arms crossed. "Hey, Tony. Guess what? You're being transferred to Arkham in about a week or two," the guard informed. "Enjoy this sweet cell while you can because once you're there, you ain't going to get as much peace there as you have here."

"Thank you, Harold," he replied and grinned. "I'll cherish every moment I have left here."

Harold huffed and walked out, locking the cell door behind him. "Lights out," he announced and the lights in his cell went out all at once. "See you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," he breathed out, smirking. "is one more day closer to seeing my little girl again."

* * *

 **Now that Jackie finally told Robin and Aqualad that she can create illusions, will she be able to take control of them with ease? Or will it be one of the hardest tasks she's put herself through? Will Tony succeed in escaping and getting to his daughter? Find out soon! :)**

 **Review! Tell me what you think! Constructive criticism is welcome! :)**


	8. Chapter 8: Terrors part 1 with Illusions

**Thank you, Taa, for your review! That would be an interesting plot twist, but you'll have to wait and see. ;)**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** **I don't own Young Justice. I only my OC's. All rights go to their respective owners. :)**

* * *

Mount Justice

September 13th, 10:22 EDT.

"It's not working!" Jackie exclaimed, clutching her head in frustration. She had been trying for a little over two hours to create an illusion but, of course, for a newbie like her, it wasn't working. "I'll never get it!"

"Practice makes perfect, Electra," Kaldur'ahm reminded for the fourth time that morning as he stared at her from his position on the couch.

"I know 'practice makes perfect' but we've been doing this for hours and still nothing." Electra retorted.

"You just started," Kaldur'ahm pointed out. "It'll take time."

She sighed then looked at M'gann. "You make it look easy."

"I can't create illusions, Electra," the Martian reminded, levitating a tray of cookies out of the oven. "You're the only one on the Team that can."

The seventeen year old groaned and laid down on the couch, placing her legs on the Atlantean's lap. "I just wish it wasn't so hard."

"Nothing comes easy in this life," Kaldur'ahm stated, hesitating before placing a hand on her shoe. "You have to work for it."

"I know that too," she bitterly replied. "It's just frustrating."

The Atlantean opened his mouth to say something until the intercom beeped, turning on. "Team, report to the mission room," Batman's voice ordered over it. Electra smiled and swung her legs over the couch, lifting them off of Kaldur's lap, and stood up.

Hopefully, this was a mission. She's been a bit peckish for a little action. The beating she gave some punk last night for stealing a woman's purse told her that. Luckily, she had worn civilian clothes for the fight, so the guy reported to the cops that his attacker looked like a small male wearing a thick black hoodie, black jeans, and a pair of gray tennis shoes; he never saw her face, so she assumed she was in the clear. If Batman found out, though, she'd probably get the worst lecture she could imagine, plus he'd tell her mom, and her mom has been a bit on edge lately after Jackie went missing for a whole night.

She stretched out her back, hearing it pop, before walking alongside Kaldur to the mission room. "You think this is a mission?" she asked eagerly. "This has to be a mission, right?"

He smiled. "It sounds like you want to go out in the field."

"Well, yeah, it's been a long time since I've been out there."

"I don't know if this a mission," he answered then shrugged. "I would hope it is."

She nodded then widened her eyes when she entered the mission room; Superman was there. Despite what her father always told her about him, she never stopped being a fan; she wasn't his biggest fan, though, but he came in a close second.

She gulped and hadn't realized she stopped walking until Aqualad placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright, Electra?" he asked, concern lacing his tone.

She smiled nervously. "I'm fine. Just anxious to see what this is about."

He smiled gently and squeezed her shoulder before walking over to the center of the room. She followed him, suppressing the urge to jump up and down in excitement that she was in the same room as the Man of Steel himself. She stood between Kaldur and M'gann, focusing all of her attention on Batman and trying so hard not to glance at Superman.

"This past fourth of July, four ice villains staged simultaneous attacks," Batman began, showing pictures of each of the villains on the holographic computer. "Mr. Freeze, Icicle Junior, Killer Frost, and Captain Cold were all easily apprehended. _Perhaps_ too easily. Cold and Frost were immediately sent to Belle Reve Pententiary, a federal prison designed to house super criminals. The seventeen year old Icicle Junior was sent to a juvenile facility. Mr. Freeze to his usual cell in Arkham Asylum. But Freeze petitioned the Court to be declared legally sane and Junior sued to be tried as an adult. As a result, both await transport to Belle Reve which seems to have been the goal all along." He came forward, nodding once at Electra and she stepped forward with M'gann and Superboy. "I'm sending the three of you in to find out why."

"Who inside the prison will know their true identities?" Kaldur asked.

"No one," Batman answered. "We can't be certain the prison staff isn't compromised." He then turned to Electra. "Which brings the question of your identity, Electra. You will not be permitted to wear a mask, sunglasses, or anything that can keep your identity from being revealed. But I also understand that you have a friend that can aide you in your change of appearance to make you unrecognizable; one with _magical_ abilities? Is that correct, Electra?"

She narrowed her eyes for a few moments in confusion before widening them once realization of who came to mind. The problem was, her and her magical 'friend' weren't friends; they used to be partners and their last mission together did not go so well. She nodded in response to his question, hoping she could convince her former partner to help her.

"Good," he continued. "Dismissed."

Electra as well as the others, including Superman and Martian Manhunter, started walking away until, "Electra, stay," Batman sternly ordered, and she flinched; did he somehow put together that she was the one in the black hoodie from last night?

"Something wrong, Batman?" she asked, placing her hands in her pockets as she walked over to him.

"Should something be wrong?" he questioned, narrowing his eyes a bit.

"Nope," she answered, a little too quickly, she noticed.

He stared at her for a few seconds, causing her to shift uncomfortably, before turning back to the screen and pulling up a report on someone named 'Nickie Jackson'. "I've already created a criminal record for you; all that's needed is your mug shot."

"I'm Nickie Jackson?"

"Yes."

"Huh, I committed a lot of crimes," she commented, reading the report. When she was halfway through, her eyes widened. "I fought three superheroes in the past year and got away!?"

"Yes."

"But there's no way I could do that!"

"You didn't do it, Electra; 'Nickie' did."

She sighed in defeat. "Fine but if I am going to prison, I don't want any of the criminals to know of my crimes, especially the really tough ones."

"It will be brought up in court during your trial."

"As long as none of the other criminals know it."

He nodded once. "Then go find your friend, so he can help you in changing your appearance for tomorrow."

"How did you find out so much about me?" she questioned. "How much do you even know?"

"A lot," he answered. "I made it one of my priorities to find whatever I could on you before I asked you to join the Team. Plus, your Uncle Jim was willing to tell me what I needed to know."

She crossed her arms and glared slightly. "He wouldn't do that, especially if he thought I was in trouble."

"He did after I explained my reasoning," he explained, and she sighed. "He's a good uncle. I'm surprised you two don't talk that often."

"Yeah, well, after mom and I left California, he thought it would be best if we distanced ourselves; he wanted to protect us."

He hummed. "I've done some research, and I found out that your friend is staying in Florida. You'll need to be ready for tomorrow by tonight."

She nodded. "Okay, but he might not be willing to help me; our last encounter did not end well."

"Then work it out when you see him. If you don't get a disguise, then you're not going on this mission."

She sighed. "I'll do my best."

* * *

Tallahassee, Florida.

12:11 pm.

Jackie walked through the Zeta-Tube, hearing it power down after she stepped out of the run-down photo booth. She tugged her jacket closer to her once a cold breeze rushed past her and started walking through the streets, hoping to find Jackson as soon as possible and get their whole 'heart-to-heart' talk over with.

Searching for the apartment her former partner was hiding in would be easy. Talking him out of killing her, though, wouldn't. She honestly couldn't blame him; she purposefully sabotaged the mission her father assigned the both of them. Her father blamed him and threatened to kill him if he ratted him out to the authorities. Later on, Jackson found out she was responsible for the failed mission, so he told her he would kill her if he ever saw her again. She was hoping he never would.

But life changed for the teen girl and she had to convince him to help her if she was going to go on this mission with the Team. She just hoped he would let her talk for a few minutes before he tried to kill her.

Walking across the street, she looked up to see Jackson's apartment. Well, it wasn't his; according to Batman's research, he had been breaking into vacant apartment rooms and staying there for a few days then leaving the place in search of another one. In other words, he was on the run from the authorities and possibly a few people he owed money to.

She walked up to the building and found the list of residents with a buzzer next to it. She traced her finger down the list until she chose a random one and pressed a little button next to their name.

It ringed a few times before they answered. "Hello?" the resident, most likely an old woman judging by the sound of her voice, asked. "Who is it?"

"Hello, ma'am. My name is Samantha Ward," she answered, trying to keep herself from squeaking as she lied and glanced at the name of another resident. "I'm a friend of Gracie Smith. She was supposed to buzz me in, but she's not answering, and I need to take her to see the doctor for her regular checkup on her heart."

"Gracie has heart problems?" the woman questioned, and Jackie flinched; she should've known they knew each other. "How long?"

Jackie cleared her throat before replying with a, "Oh a few months."

"How come she never told me? We're close friends."

"She probably wanted to protect you, ma'am."

Two minutes of silence passed, and Jackie wondered if the woman was calling her neighbor, Gracie, to confront her on her 'heart problems'. Finally, she came back on. "Nice try, but Gracie doesn't know a Samantha Ward and she doesn't have any heart problems; she just told me so herself."

The teen groaned inwardly in frustration before replying. "Alright, fine. You got me. I'm here because I didn't want to go home."

She didn't want to go home? Was that really the best lie she could come up with on the spot?

"Why?"

The teen swallowed. "My dad's a drunk, and he lost his job today. When he has a bad day, he takes it out on me, and I really need to go somewhere he won't suspect, so he can cool down and not give me a too harsh of a beating when I go home later tonight."

Huh, that didn't sound so bad. It actually sounded believable; probably 'cause it was what she thought her father would do if he decided to start drinking.

A buzzing sound reached her ears, startling her out of her thoughts. "Come upstairs, Samantha," the old woman spoke through the intercom. "We can talk about our shared pasts."

Shared pasts? This woman had an abusive father too when she was young? She groaned inwardly; she would give anything just to talk to this woman then if it was any other time; she desperately wanted to know how this woman got through it all and if she moved on from her terrible childhood. Why did Jackson have to come to this apartment complex and not be sleeping in a warehouse where she wouldn't find someone that shared the same hardships as she did.

She sighed; she had to use this woman to get in. "Thank you, ma'am. I appreciate your kindness."

"Of course, hon. Now come upstairs; I'm on the third floor in room 13B, okay?"

"Okay."

She let go of the button and pushed the door open as she walked in. She walked up the stairs, being careful not to make too much noise, so the old woman wouldn't hear her, and didn't stop until she reached the fourth floor, which was the floor Jackson was on. Knowing she had to move fast because the woman might call the cops when Jackie didn't go see her, she hurried over to the door, took out a bobby pin from her pocket, and slid it in the doorknob, trying to pick the lock.

After a moment or two, she finally heard the click and turned the knob, smiling slightly when it turned all the way, telling her it was open. She opened the door a little then placed the bobby pin in her pocket before walking in and closing the door gently and quietly behind her.

Her back rested against the door and her nose scrunched up in disgust at the familiar smell of his disgusting sweat and dirty laundry. He's only been here for a day! How could he have possibly made it smell this repulsive in that amount of time?!

She blinked back her tears as she carefully pushed herself away from the door and looked around for Jackson. Hopefully, she would find him first so she could have a chance to say something before he attempted to kill her.

The sound of a gun clicking reached her ears and she felt the barrel of a gun pressed against the back of her head. Unfortunately, luck didn't seem to be on her side at that given moment. "Who are you? What do you want?" the rough voice of Jackson Minuet questioned from behind her.

She swallowed and prepared herself to use her electricity if need be. "I just want to talk, Jackson," she replied sternly, covering up the fear in her voice.

She heard him take a step closer to him and felt him grab her arm. "What about?" he asked. "And how do you know my name?"

"I know you because we used to be partners until I ruined the mission for the both of us."

"There's a lot of people that I've worked with that have ruined missions with me; you're going to have to be more specific with who you are."

She swallowed again, her throat suddenly feeling dry. She licked her lips nervously before replying. "We haven't seen each other in years." She turned her head slightly to look at him. "I was the girl that sabotaged the mission in hopes of getting my father arrested."

His grip on her arm tightened and he pressed the barrel of the gun harder into her skull. "And your name?"

She let out a shaky exhale. "Jackie Holloway."

Immediately, he threw her to the side of him. She fell and hit the wall in the hallway then clutched her head in pain. From her crouched position, she looked up to see his gun at least a few inches in front of her, aimed between her eyes. Her hands went out to the sides of her, slowly moving up. "Jackson, please. I know you're angry, but we can talk this out," she pleaded.

"I told you the next time we met I'd kill you," he reminded, his voice soft.

She took every ounce of courage to look up to see his bloody nose, his tousled black hair, a black eye, and a long cut that ran from his cheekbone to his lip, splitting it. She then looked to his left hand holding the gun; it was bandaged and shook terribly. She sighed. "Did you get into a fight?" she asked in a whisper.

"Doesn't matter," he spat and brought the gun even closer to her. "You wouldn't care anyway."

"We were partners for months, Jackson; we became close; we were friends, maybe even more."

He hesitated before glaring. "Until you sabotaged our mission; you ruined what could have been."

"For good reason."

He scoffed. "You did it for your own personal gain."

"I did it in hopes I could protect my mother and get the both of us away from my father!"

"Well, you failed." He brought the gun closer to her, so she could barely feel it touching her forehead. "And now you're going to die."

She drew in a shaky breath. "Killing me won't help your situation. If anything, it will make things harder for you."

He furrowed his brow. "What are you talking about?"

"The cops are coming, Jackson. Even as we speak."

He opened his mouth to say something but shut it when he heard police sirens and glared at her before muttering something under his breath, his eyes flickering red for a brief moment. Then he let go of the gun, using magic to make it float in the air, and still aimed at her. He quickly walked over to the window and moved the curtain out of the way slightly, and Jackie could see red and blue lights flashing on his face as he looked out. She slowly stood up, and his attention flicked back over to her when she moved.

"You called the cops?!" he exclaimed, fuming as he stormed over to her, muttered something under his breath again and reached out his hand as the gun flew over to him. He caught it easily and, once again, it was aimed at her head. "If I go down, you're coming with me!"

"I didn't call the cops, Jackson," she insisted. "It was most likely the person that let me in."

"Who?"

"I'm not going to tell you that." She took a step forward. "I know you'll only hurt them."

He scowled. "You're still going to die."

"Fine, then shoot me." Another step. "But you and I both know that if you do there's going to be a search party looking for you and whoever you're running from will be one step closer to finding you."

"How did you know I was on the run?"

"I told you. We were close, Jackson."

He sighed and used one hand to pinch the bridge of his nose before looking towards the door when someone pounded on it. "Open the door! This is the police!" a man on the other side shouted.

He sighed again before looking back up at her. "Consider yourself lucky then," he whispered and aimed the gun at the door, causing Jackie to fire up her electricity. He stared at her with widened eyes and a gaping mouth when he saw the electric sparks coming from her fingers. "Is that-?"

"Unfortunately it is. I also have my father's telepathy and flight."

"When did-?"

"It's a long story; one that we don't have time to talk about." She gestured to the gun. "Either you put the gun down and I can get you out of here without anyone knowing you were here, or I can electrocute you until you go into a coma and whoever is after you will kill you in the hospital. Your choice."

He glared at her before looking back at the door. After another moment, he hesitantly lowered the gun to his side and glanced at her. "Let's get out of here," he whispered then nodded towards the window. "Ladies first."

"No way. You're first."

"What? You don't trust me not to kill them?"

Her electricity powers intensified, and she looked at him incredulously. "What do you think?"

He shrugged in response, sending her an annoyed look, before walking over to the window. He muttered again, his eyes flicking red, and Jackie yelped as the window shattered right in front of him, the shards just missing him by an inch. He sent a smirk in her direction. "What now? I haven't figured out how to levitate with magic."

She sighed. "Then I guess I'm flying the both of us out of here."

"You sure you can carry me?"

She smirked. "You're pretty small; I can carry you."

He frowned at her. "I'm taller than you."

"By an inch."

He scoffed and looked her up and down. "I probably weigh more too; you'd drop me."

She placed a hand on her heart and smiled. "Thanks for the compliment."

He rolled his eyes and gestured to the window with his gun. "Can we go now? We don't have much time."

She smirked again and nodded once before walking over to him. She gestured to the window. "Crazy criminals first."

He scoffed again, hesitated, then climbed out the window. She waited a few seconds before climbing through but stopped and looked over her shoulder when the front door flew open, the doorknob falling to the ground. A cop ran into the room, aiming his weapon at her.

"Don't move!" he shouted. "Stay where you are!"

Out of fear, Jackie immediately powered up her electricity and was going to throw an electric ball at a light on the ceiling but watched the cop in confusion when he lowered his gun and looked at her with disbelief. "Carol?" he questioned, his voice soft.

She was taken aback that this man thought she was someone else, but it would be a good thing if it meant protecting her identity. "Yes?" she asked, hoping she sounded like 'Carol'.

His eyes widened and he took a step forward. "Is that really you, Carol?"

"Yes."

"We have to go," Jackson whispered to her, climbing over the fire escape railing.

"You're alive?" the cop asked, his tone sounding hopeful. "But you died. I held you until you were dead."

She bit her lip to suppress herself from gasping; whoever this man thought she was was dead. If he looked at her any closer, he would see she wasn't this 'Carol' that he once knew. "I have to go," she responded and stepped out the window. "I'm really sorry."

"Wait! Please!" He ran closer, and she stepped farther back. He stopped and looked behind him when the sound of running footsteps were getting louder and closer, then looked back at her. "I love you."

She hesitated, wondering if she should stop before she hurt this man any further but knew she needed to get out of here without him thinking she wasn't 'Carol'. "I love you too," she replied, grasping onto the railing.

He grinned as his eyes watered. "Run. Run as fast as you can go, Carol. I'll tell them this room was vacant when I got here. Will I see you again?"

She shook her head. "I don't think so."

He nodded then smiled again. "I figured. Now go before the others get here."

She nodded once before climbing over the railing and looking back at the window to see the cop grasping onto the edges of the curtains. He smiled at her. "Stay safe and be careful," he whispered before pulling the curtains over the window and running towards the front door as he yelled, "Clear! Room 22D is clear!"

Once the cop's voice became more distant, she jumped, pulling Jackson with her. He let out an involuntary yell, and she wrapped her arms around his torso before activating her flight. She launched up higher into the air, wanting to get far away from the apartment as possible.

About twenty minutes later, she found an abandoned warehouse and flew close enough to the roof where she dropped Jackson, hearing him grunt when he hit the roof, then landed gracefully on top of it.

"Gee, thanks," he spat and stood up from where he was dropped. "I just love being dropped onto random buildings."

"Glad I could help."

He scowled then smirked. "Now that we're alone," he mused and pointed his gun at her. "Now I can kill you with no traces of it leading back to me."

"You're seriously going to kill me after I just saved you?"

He shrugged. "Why not? No one will trace it back to me."

"My father might." She watched as he flinched visibly. "He knows what kind of guns you prefer to use."

"Fine. Then I'll kill you with my magic. I can make it look like a suicide."

"You're powerful but so am I. I was trained by my father after all and got all of his superpowers."

He glared then sighed as he lowered the gun again, his eyes dropping to the ground. "Why did you come to see me, Jackie?"

"I need your help."

"With?"

"I need to look like someone else, and you're the only one I know who can help me."

"You're on the run too?" he asked, smirking up at her. "Did you finally decide to become what your father wanted you to be?"

She narrowed her eyes. "No."

"Then what do you want it for? And don't lie; I've known you long enough to know when you're lying."

She sighed. "If you must know, I'm going on a mission and I need to look like a nonexistent person."

He sighed again and ran a hand down his face. "Creating someone to look like someone else takes a lot of energy out of me. Plus, I would need to be at a certain distance from you to make sure the appearance doesn't change."

"Then I guess you can come too."

"Where would we be going?"

"Belle Reve Penitentiary."

He looked up at her with widened eyes. "Belle Reve?! Are you crazy?! I'm not going to Belle Reve!"

"Why? 'Cause you owe some prisoners there money? Then change your appearance too."

"It wouldn't be that simple." He walked over to her. "They have inhibitor collars there and if they shock me then I could lose concentration."

She scowled. "Come on, Jackson! I've got to look like someone else by tonight!"

"Well I can't help you."

She groaned in frustration. "Then how am I supposed to go on this mission?!"

He rolled his eyes. "Just use your illusions, like you did earlier."

Her eyes widened. "Earlier?" she whispered as she thought back to the police officer and how he thought she was 'Carol'. She created an illusion? It wasn't because she looked a lot like 'Carol'?

"Yeah, you ended up looking like someone the cop knew to get us out of there, remember?"

"But I didn't even know the cop. How did I look like someone he knew?"

He shrugged. "As soon as you panicked, you most likely read his mind, found someone he cared about, and made him believe you were them by looking like them."

"I don't understand."

He turned and started walking away. "Not my problem. See ya!"

"But I need your help!" she yelled.

"Sorry, but I don't have telepathy like you do, so I can't help you."

"But what if I can't hold the illusion for as long as I need to? How do I hold it for long periods of time?"

"You're a smart girl, Jackie. You'll figure it out."

She sighed in annoyance then glanced up at his retreating back, her voice soft as she called to him. "Jackson?"

He stopped and turned to face her. "What?"

"Will I see you again?"

He shrugged again. "Maybe. We'll just have to wait and see what the future holds for us."

She smiled. "Promise not to kill me when we do see each other again?"

He smirked. "I'll think about it."

She hummed and placed her hands in her pockets. "Be careful," she whispered.

He smirked. "You know me, Jackie; I'm never careful."

She sent a smile his way before taking to the air, leaving him to wonder how he was going to get down from the warehouse when there was no way down.

* * *

Gotham City

9:33 pm.

Illusions were exhausting. No matter how many times she tried to make herself look like someone else, she ended up just being Jackie Morris. She even had to ask her mom to watch her to see if she looked any different. The answer was always no.

"I'm not going to get this in time," the teen complained, landing face-first into the couch. "I'm not going on the mission."

"You'll get it, sweetheart. It takes a lot of time and practice."

She propped her elbows up on the couch and rested her chin on her fists. "I know, but I have to get it by tomorrow."

Her mother hummed. "Maybe you need someone to help you; someone to teach you to create illusions."

"No one on the Team knows how to create illusions, Mom. And if there's anyone on the Justice League that can, I doubt they have the time to be someone's tutor."

"Does anyone have telepathy on the Team?"

"Miss Martian does, but she can't create illusions."

Jennifer shrugged. "Yes but could she telepathically support you? Give you more control over your illusions?"

Jackie blinked once as she stared at her mother from across the coffee table. Could M'gann do that? Help her maintain control over her illusions? "She is pretty powerful," she muttered to herself.

"What was that, sweetheart?"

"Where did you come up with that idea?" she asked.

"I don't know much about telepathy but if you and Miss Martian have it then perhaps you can telepathically support one another. If that's how it works, I mean."

"I'm not sure," she whispered and stood up off the couch. "I better go see her. Maybe we can try it."

Her mother smiled. "Good luck, sweetheart."

The teen smiled and quickly donned her superhero uniform on before leaving the apartment.

Hopefully this worked. If it didn't, she didn't know what she was going to do. She might go out and stop any petty crimes from occurring and those punks committing the crime might just see how anxious she was to fight.

Landing next to the telephone booth, she stepped in.

* * *

Mount Justice

09:41 EST.

"Recognized: Electra: B-0-8," the computer announced but Jackie barely heard it as she ran around Mount Justice, searching for M'gann.

"M'gann! M'gann!" she yelled, hoping said-martian could hear her.

"Electra?" M'gann's voice echoed in her mind, causing the older to stop in her tracks in surprise. "Superboy heard you. Is everything alright?"

"Yes. Where are you?" Electra asked, coming out of her surprised state.

"In the kitchen with Superboy."

That's where she headed to; she had to know if she could alter her appearance with M'gann's help. It would put a lot of pressure on both of them, but she _needed_ this mission.

When she turned a corner, she barely stopped in time to keep herself from slamming into Aqualad and sending both of them to fall to the ground. Unfortunately, she managed to trip because of her sudden stop and gasped as she started falling forwards. The Atlantean immediately moved forward and grasped onto her upper arms, stopping her from falling. "Electra, are you alright?" he asked, sounding surprised and a bit worried.

She sighed and looked up, realizing the proximity of how close their faces were to each other and that her hands were placed on his chest. Her face heat up in both a blush and embarrassment as she immediately tried to step away from him, but he wouldn't let go. "I-I'm fine," she stuttered out, still embarrassed. "I just needed to talk to M'gann."

He nodded once then let her go. "I believe she is in the kitchen with Superboy."

"Yeah, she told me."

He hummed and gestured to the hallway behind him. "Allow me to walk you there."

She smiled shyly and nodded as she rubbed her arms and started walking with him beside her.

A moment of silence passed between them before Kaldur'ahm cleared his throat, causing Jackie to look at him. "How is the book I found for you at the library?" he asked. "The one written by Jeremy Carter?"

"Oh, it's great. It's more suspenseful than I thought it would be."

"Good. Hopefully, the information in it is accurate to what Atlantis is truly like."

She shrugged. "Based on the information from the novel, I have a picture on what your home looks like, but I can't tell you if it's accurate."

He nodded. "Perhaps one day I will show you."

"Yeah, maybe," she muttered then spoke a little louder for him to hear her. "Have you started reading the book I found for you?"

"Yes, I finished it," he answered and smiled. "It is not what I expected."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"In the beginning, the two protagonists despised each other and their only goal in mind was to find Atlantis to become rich and famous, like you told me," he explained. "I did not expect them to end up keeping the city of Atlantis a secret and for them to start a relationship with each other."

"Oh yeah. That caught me by surprise too; it was one of the twists," she replied.

Another moment of silence passed between them. Jackie's thoughts frantically went from one topic of conversation to another, getting rid of the ones that Kaldur'ahm wouldn't know. Unfortunately, she couldn't think of anything that he might know besides Atlantis. Perhaps Robin and Wally told him some things that teenagers up on the surface world liked or did? Should she try to start a conversation about that?

"So," Kaldur'ahm started, snapping Electra out of her thoughts. "How is training going with Black Canary?"

How was training? Not so great; she kept making the same mistakes with Canary over and over again; or in other words, she kept losing to her trainer. "It's fine," she answered. "I've learned a few things." Which was true; even though she kept losing, she did learn some things her father never taught her.

"That's good," he replied. "Perhaps you and I can spar some time?"

She shrugged. "Sure. Sounds great."

He nodded once in response.

About a minute passed before they finally made it to the kitchen where Superboy and M'gann were. Jackie exhaled when she saw the Martian, remembering the reason why she came here; her illusions.

"Hello, Aqualad and Electra," M'gann greeted and smiled as she stood up from her place from the couch. "How are you?"

"I am well. Thank you, M'gann," Aqualad answered.

"I'm fine," Electra answered quickly, wanting to get to the point. "M'gann, I may have figured out a way to change my appearance using my illusions."

The martian grinned. "That's great. Did you want to show us?"

The seventeen year old sighed. "Actually, I need your help to figure it out. You see, I know I can change my appearance with an illusion, but I don't know how long I can hold it for or how to create one on command."

M'gann frowned a bit. "Then why do you need my help?"

"You have telepathy, like me," Jackie explained. "Perhaps you can telepathically support me, so I can hold my illusions for long periods of time and possibly create one with ease?"

The martian hummed. "That might be difficult, but it could be possible."

The seventeen year old smiled a bit. "Can we try? I really want to get this down."

M'gann nodded then Electra watched as her eyes started to turn green.

* * *

11:22 EST.

"Well?" Jackie asked her Team members, including Robin and Wally who both arrived at least an hour ago. "Anything different?"

"No," Conner answered immediately then crossed his arms.

The seventeen year old sighed in frustration and sat down in defeat. "I'm done," she announced. "This isn't going to work. I'm not going on this mission."

M'gann sat down next to the newest member as her eyes returned back to their normal color and she placed a hand on her shoulder. "This takes time and a lot of practice."

"But I did it so easily before and now I can't," Electra complained. "Why is _now_ so different?"

"Before?" Kaldur'ahm questioned as he leaned forward. "Are you referring to your first time in the Hangar? You didn't change your appearance; you only changed the way you saw what was around you."

"No, after that." She rubbed her temples once the feeling of a headache came on. "I went to go see my magical 'friend' earlier and in the heat of a battle we got in, I read the enemy's mind and changed my appearance to someone that was close to him, which-"

"Fight-or-flight reaction," Superboy interjected. "That's what's triggering your illusions."

"What?" Electra asked, confused.

"Of course!" Robin exclaimed, grinning. "And what hormone triggers the fight-or-flight reaction?"

"Adrenaline," Superboy answered.

"Exactly!" Robin jumped up from his seat and raced over to her then grasped her shoulders. "Adrenaline causes fight-or-flight reactions, which causes you to create illusions!"

"But the first time I ever created an illusion, I was calm." Jackie argued and crossed her arms.

"Yes, but you were also underwater at the time. The fear that you could drown could have triggered something."

"You're afraid of drowning?" Superboy asked.

The seventeen year old sighed and buried her face in her hands in embarrassment. "Yes."

"So that's it then," Robin insisted, seemingly excited.

"But I was calm!" she argued. "I was letting go of my fear during that time!"

"Then it must have been something you thought of before you created the illusion."

"That's ridiculous," Jackie started, narrowing her eyes a bit. "There's nothing that I thought of that could have-" She stopped, remembering what she was thinking of before she created her first illusion.

It was her father. He was the enemy in the illusion because he was the one that created her fear of large bodies of water, including sea creatures. He was who she thought of before the illusion started. It was him that triggered her capability to create her first illusion.

"What?" Robin questioned and squeezed her shoulders before shaking her a little. "Who'd you think of? What'd you think of?"

"An old enemy," she whispered and looked up at the boy. "It was _him_."

The Boy Wonder narrowed his eyes a bit in confusion before widening them. " _Him_?" he asked, keeping his voice down.

She nodded slightly in response, and he sighed. "I'm guessing that's who you thought you were fighting in your first illusion?" he continued. "You thought Aqualad was _him_?"

She nodded again and looked down. "I don't believe this," she whispered, mainly to herself. "Why does he always come up when I'm trying to move on?"

Robin squeezed her shoulders again, causing her to look back up at him. "Don't worry. We'll help you get through this."

She smiled gently at him, who returned the smile, then looked towards Superboy when he asked, "Who are you talking about?"

She sighed; he had super hearing, of course. "It doesn't matter," she answered then stood up, causing Robin to let go of her. "We now know that the fight-or-flight response causes me to create illusions whether to change my appearance, change the surroundings of another individual, or change the surroundings around me."

"So if you have enough adrenaline running through your system to create a fight-or-flight response, you'll change appearance?" Wally questioned and smiled. "Cool."

"Yeah, I guess so. But there's still a problem; what if I don't have enough adrenaline running through me while at Belle Rev? It's not like I'll be fighting for my life every single moment," Jackie asked, crossing her arms.

"I'll try to support you in any way I can, but it might not be enough," M'gann commented.

"You'll have to depend on your own strength, Electra," Aqualad answered, looking up at her. "and keep the image of who you want to look like in your mind to stay as the person you are supposed to be."

The seventeen year old sighed. "I guess I'll have to practice then until I get it right."

"Practice," Robin mused then looked at M'gann. "Can you set up a telepathic link? But leave Electra out of it."

"What?" Jackie questioned, uncrossing her arms and giving Robin an incredulous look. "Why?"

"Practice," Robin repeated, smirking. He then looked towards Aqualad and Superboy, who both stood up from their seats. Electra watched as the Atlantean nodded towards the youngest member, who smirked wider and immediately took out his escrima sticks then stared mischievously at Jackie.

"Uh, Genius?" the seventeen year old asked cautiously and took a step back. "What's going on?"

The Boy Wonder chuckled, and Wally took a few steps forward. "Run."

"W-What?"

"Run."

That was the only warning she got before all of them charged at her with Wally in the lead. She gasped and immediately ran out of the room, attempting to remember the layout of Mount Justice so she didn't run into any dead ends.

When she reached the mission room, she flew up to keep herself at a distance from all of them. "What is wrong with all of you?!" she yelled, her fists clenching and her eyes narrowing. "What are you doing?!"

No one answered her. Instead, Miss Martian flew up to her, her eyes glowing green, and used her telepathy to throw her. Jackie yelped when her body flew down at a fast pace, despite her protests to stop, then grunted when her back hit the floor beneath her.

She groaned in pain as she turned over to rest on her side, rubbing the back of her head slightly, since it started throbbing. "Ah," she muttered but gasped when she heard Superboy's battle cry. She looked over, registered Conner rushing over to her, and jumped out of the way before he smashed onto the ground where she once laid.

Landing on her feet, she started to dodge Robin, who was trying to hit her with his escrima sticks. She performed a back flip then glanced over at Aqualad to see him nod at Kid Flash, who then ran towards her using his super speed. She growled, understanding that he was giving the Team orders on how to take her out.

What had gotten into them? Why were they all trying to attack her all of the sudden? Was it some sort of training exercise she was never told about? If it was, she was a goner with all of them ganging up on her like this.

Wally reached her and Robin jumped out of the way when the speedster started running circles around her, spinning her around and around. Her vision filled with red and yellow blurs as she tried to fire up her electricity to hit Wally, but she couldn't focus. Finally, she collapsed on her knees and held her head, hoping to make the dizziness stop as she waited for the speedster to slow down.

Luckily, he did stop, but the moment she looked up, Superboy had gotten a hold of her by her hair and threw her. She let out an involuntary yell before roughly landing on the ground, sliding a bit. She groaned both in pain and dizziness, and didn't even attempt to get up until her vision focused again.

Were they trying to kill her? It sure seemed that way with how they were throwing her around like she was a rag doll.

Another battle cry reached her ears and her eyes widened in fear that someone was going to hurt her from where she lay. She turned to lay on her back but didn't have time to get up because Kaldur landed right on top of her, his water sword in hand and his narrowed eyes burning into her. She gasped when he landed and grabbed his hand that held the sword, preventing him from striking. Out of panic, her mind instantly dug into his, hoping to somehow connect herself to their telepathic link, but only found a picture of a teenage girl with red hair that he knew. "Kaldur, don't!" she screamed out.

He gaped at her as his expression softened and he dropped his arm that held the sword, which lost its power and turned into regular water as it spilled onto the floor. Her eyes searched his, looking for an answer as to why he stopped but found none.

"Kaldur," she whispered, her grip still tight on his wrist. "don't hurt me."

"Whoa!" KF exclaimed, rushing over to the two of them, causing Jackie to yelp. "You did it, Electra!"

She stared at him in confusion before pushing Kaldur off of her and standing up then backing away from all of them. "What is wrong with all of you?!" she yelled, her fists clenching once again. "You don't just attack a fellow teammate without explanation or reason!"

"Calm down, Electra," Robin demanded gently, putting his weapon away. "We just wanted to help."

"Help?! Help with what?!"

"We wanted to help you create your own illusions," M'gann answered, landing on the ground next to Conner and grinning. "and it worked!"

Electra blinked once before looking down at herself to see that she was still wearing her regular uniform. "I don't look any different," she bitterly stated. "I still look the same!"

"No, you don't," Robin mused then pointed to his head. "At least not below your neck."

The teenage girl exhaled before rubbing a hand through her hair, surprised that a few pieces of red hair fell in front of her eyes. "What the-?" she muttered and used both hands to pull more hair in front of her to see that it was indeed red and shorter than her normal long blonde hair.

She then touched her cheeks, but remembered that she was supposed to be wearing a mask, so she didn't try to touch her eyes or eyebrows. "I did it," she whispered then looked down at Kaldur, who was still on the floor, and raised her voice slightly so he could hear her. "Who am I? Who do I look like?"

"You-You look like Tula; she is-" he started before frowning slightly. "an old friend of mine."

"Yeah, you got the different eye color, voice, and everything," KF commented then gestured to her uniform. "Well, except for the clothes, obviously."

"Eye color?" she asked then widened her eyes. "You mean I'm not wearing a mask?!"

"Don't worry. You have a totally different face." Robin assured. "The mask is just invisible to us because of the illusion."

"Oh," she muttered and crossed her arms before speaking louder. "What am I going to do about my clothes?"

"The clothes shouldn't be a problem," Robin answered. "I believe Batman has an idea on what your character should wear."

"So I'm good then? I can go on the mission?"

"You probably should practice a little more," Superboy answered. "Just to be sure."

"Yeah, and let's test how long you can hold your illusion for, just so we know," Wally pointed out.

Electra nodded then fired up her electricity. "Let's do this."

* * *

Gotham City

September 14th, 1:54 am.

Jackie climbed through her bedroom window, after picking the lock, and pushed herself over to the closet to change in some pajamas, not caring if she had a shower or not; she was too exhausted. For the past two-in-a-half hours, she and her other teammates were training to see how long she could hold her illusions for. So far, she was doing pretty good; her longest time was an hour and thirty minutes.

She yawned, wanting to get to bed as soon as possible, but heard voices in the next room. She groaned, remembering she promised her mom to tell her when she got home, so she didn't worry.

Trudging over to the door, she opened it slightly and looked in the other room. Her eyes widened at the sight before her; The Dark Knight's hand was resting on top of her mother's and the only light in the room was the light coming from the fireplace. The teen didn't know if the superhero was comforting her or possibly doing it for the romantic mood.

Forget sleep; this was too good to not eavesdrop on and find out what his intentions were and if her mother would accept them. She closed the door a tiny bit more so no one noticed her presence.

"How could this happen? Why is it happening?" Jennifer questioned, rubbing her temples with one hand.

"He doesn't know where you are," Batman assured. "You have nothing to worry about."

'He doesn't know where you are?' Who the heck were they referring to? A coworker?

"I hope you're right," her mother commented then looked at Batman and gave him a tired smile. "Why don't we change the subject? How's Jackie's training and therapy going?"

"Only her therapist knows how she's doing, but I have been told she has been going to therapy. As for her training, she's doing well; I've seen her train a few times with her teammates and she seems to be getting along with them."

"As in, she's becoming friends with them? Opening up to them?"

"Yes."

Jennifer let out a breath of relief. "You have no idea how happy that makes me."

"I believe I do."

She smiled at him and placed her hand on top of his before squeezing it gently. "I appreciate everything you've done for her. Thank you."

He nodded once. "Of course. If I had never saw Jackie use her electricity for the first time, I never would have met you."

Jackie grinned, happy that she did stay up to listen to this.

She noticed that her mother turned away slightly, and the teen knew her mom was blushing. Batman cleared his throat, earning both of their attention. "What time will your daughter be back?" he asked.

Jennifer sighed, frowning. "I don't know. There isn't a set time."

He hummed. "Did she come home late last night?"

"Yes, but it wasn't as late as tonight."

"What was she wearing when she came home?"

Jackie's eyes widened; she knew she hadn't been very convincing when she lied to him about something being wrong. He must have looked up recent police reports and found one about her beating up the punk.

"I believe she was wearing a-"

The teen opened up the door all the way. "Mom, I'm back," she announced, walking into the room and hoping that conversation was forgotten between them. "Oh, hey, Batman."

"Miss Morris," he greeted as he stood up, letting go of her mom's hand, and turned to face the teenager. "We've been waiting."

"Yeah, I know," she replied and rubbed the back of her neck. "I was practicing my illusions."

"What about your friend?"

She shrugged. "It didn't work out, so I was practicing with the Team to learn to make myself look like another person."

"Did it work?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yep. Do you by any chance have an idea what Nickie is supposed to look like though?"

"I left that up to you."

She let out a breath of relief. "Great. I have the perfect Nickie in mind."

"Then show me."

She nodded once and closed her eyes, focusing her attention on the image of Nickie she came up with ever since she read about her. After a few moments of deep concentration, she opened her eyes and looked over at them. "Well? Anything different?"

Jennifer grinned and looked up at Batman, who hummed and walked over to her. "Interesting choice of hair color," he commented.

"I look different?" she asked, smiling and noticing her voice sounded higher-pitched.

"You don't look like my daughter," her mom pointed out. "You look like a totally different person."

"What do I look like?"

"You have medium-length brown hair, green eyes, full eyelashes, thinner eyebrows, a smaller nose, slightly bigger ears, but the same mouth with a higher pitched voice," Batman responded. "But your clothes are still the same."

"Robin said you could get me a uniform."

He nodded once. "I have something in mind."

She grinned. "So does this mean I'm going on the mission?"

"That depends. Can you hold this illusion for long periods of time?"

"M'gann said she would telepathically support me, but I would have to depend on my own strength to do so."

"And this means?"

"Yes, I think I'll be able to."

"Very well," he responded then turned to her mother. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Jennifer replied and smiled at him. "Thank you for coming over."

"Of course."

Right after he left, Jackie grinned at her mother. "I'm going on the mission!" she exclaimed, excited.

"Sh, Jackie, not so loud. The neighbors are sleeping," her mother whispered and smiled.

"Sorry," she whispered back then gestured to her bedroom. "I'm going to go to bed. Big day tomorrow."

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

The teen furrowed her brows in confusion before realization crossed her facial features, and she took away the illusion, so her face returned back to normal. "Thanks. I forgot about it."

Her mother nodded once. "Goodnight, Jackie."

"Goodnight, Mom."

Before the teen closed her door all the way, her mother called out to her. "Yeah, Mom?" she asked.

Her mother opened her mouth to say something, hesitated, then inhaled deeply before smiling at her. "I love you, sweetheart."

Jackie blinked a few times in confusion as to why her mother had such a hard time saying those words when she said them with ease all the time. Nonetheless, she smiled. "I love you too, Mom."

* * *

2:05 am.

"I love you too, Mom." Her daughter, Jackie, replied then closed the door, going to bed.

Jennifer exhaled deeply before glancing at the home phone in her hand and nervously putting it down on the coffee table. She rolled herself into her bedroom before closing the door and heading over to her bed where her cell phone lay. She picked it up, dialed a number, then put it up against her ear, listening to it ring a few times.

"Hello?" a smooth yet tired voice answered on the other line.

"Jim, hi," the mother greeted.

"Jennifer?" Jim asked, astonished. "I told you not to call me unless it was an emergency."

"I know, Jim," she replied and rubbed her forehead gently. "It is an emergency."

"What's wrong? You okay?"

"No, I'm not. I want you to come over, at least for a few days, maybe a week."

"Why? What happened?"

"I-It's Tony," she hesitantly replied. "He's being transferred to Arkham."

He sighed tiredly. "I'm guessing you and Jackie still live in Gotham?"

"Yes, my daughter and I still live here."

"Jennifer, I told you after Jackie finished her first year of high school that you needed to move to another state."

"I know, Jim, but I thought we would be safer here. He would have never expected us to move to a city like Gotham."

"Does he know you're there?"

"I-I don't know. I don't think he knows our new last names."

He sighed again. "Alright. I'll come down. Do I know your new last name? Or did you change it again?"

"It's still the one we chose before we left California."

"Okay. I'll should be there either by tomorrow or the day after."

"Thank you, Jim."

"Sure thing, Jennifer. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

She hung up the phone and placed it on her nightstand then rolled over to the TV in her room to watch something, knowing she wouldn't be able to fall asleep tonight.

* * *

 **Will Jackie be able to keep her illusion up for the amount of time she's in prison? Why didn't Jackie's mother tell her that her father was being transferred to Arkham? Find out soon! :)**

 **The next chapter is the second part to this, which will come out, hopefully, soon. :)**


	9. Chapter 9: Terrors Part 2

**Warning:** **This chapter might freak some people out. If you are sensitive to character death, psychopathic criminals, or horror know that this chapter does contain that. You have been warned!**

* * *

 **Thank you, Aurameres, for your review! Jennifer and Kyle getting married and having a son together during the time skip is a great suggestion; I'll think about that, but we don't know much about her feelings for him; I guess we'll have to wait and see. ;) I already passed the Downtime episode; Jackie first met the Team at the beginning of the Bereft episode (the episode after Downtime). Jennifer's mom should definitely get a therapist. I was planning on creating a sequel to this story set in Season 2 and possibly Season 3. :) I checked out that story you suggested reading, and I like it. :)**

 **Thank you, Lms, for your review!** **Jennifer did go on a date with Kyle in the previous chapter, but they never officially became a couple. Don't worry though. I have a feeling Kyle will return. ;)**

 **Thank you, Taa, for your review!** **I have a feeling we'll see Kyle again. ;)**

 **There were two guest reviewers, so I'll label you as Guest (#1) and Guest (#2). :)**

 **Thank you, Guest (#1),** **for your review!** **Jackie getting an OC love interest would be a cool plot twist. We'll have to wait and see if anyone comes her way. :)**

 **Thank you, Guest (#2), for your review!** **Don't worry, Guest. I'm sure we'll see more of Kyle soon. ;)**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice. I only own my OC's. :)**

* * *

Gotham City

September 14th, 11:30 am.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Jackie groaned, annoyed that she was woken up by her stupid alarm clock. Without taking off her blankets or lifting her head to see, she reached out and searched for the alarm. She turned it off once she found it and groaned again before opening her eyes to see the sunlight shining through her curtains, lighting up her room. She sighed tiredly, remembering she needed to get up to go on the mission.

She sat up and gently untangled herself from the blankets then stood up out of bed. She walked over to the bathroom, knowing she should shower before she left. Turning on the bathroom light, her eyes squinted at the sudden brightness before becoming used to it. She sighed again and turned on the shower, preparing to get in.

About thirty minutes later, the teen had finished preparing for the mission, including packing her uniform, just in case she needed it. She zipped up her bag, placed it over her shoulder then walked towards her bedroom door, placing a turquoise baseball cap on her head while doing so.

She opened the door and glanced up to see a man sitting on the couch talking with her mother at a whisper. She smiled once she registered his smooth voice and placed her bag on the ground. "Uncle Jim?" she questioned.

The man turned to look over at her, and she grinned when she recognized the red stubble along with the kind light blue eyes. He smiled at her in return. "Little Jackie," he greeted. "It's been too long."

She hurried over to him and didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around him. "I missed you."

He hugged her back and kissed the top of her head. "I missed you too, Little Jackie."

She smiled at the nickname, not caring that she should have outgrown it a long time ago. She reluctantly pulled away from him. "What are you doing here?"

He was about to open his mouth to say something until her mother cut him off. "He's just visiting for a few days. Maybe a week or two," she answered.

"That's great," the teen answered then frowned. "Hopefully it's longer than a few days; I'm going out of town."

"Where to?" he asked curiously after sending a side glance to Jennifer.

"She's going out with a few of her superhero friends," her mother answered before the teen had a chance to.

The seventeen year old face-palmed; she had hoped to keep that information covert from her uncle so they could still act like everything was still normal like it should have been.

He smiled. "Oh, is it a mission?"

She sent him a confused look. "How did you know that?"

"Batman paid me a visit a week or two ago," he explained. "He asked about you and your past, so I told him everything I knew. Don't get me wrong; I was very skeptical at first, but he explained he wanted you to start over, so I trusted him."

"Then how did you know I was going on a mission?"

"Your mother told me."

The teen sent her an annoyed look. "Mom, I'm on a team that wants to stay covert, meaning we don't tell anyone about us."

Her mother shrugged. "You know we can trust him, sweetheart."

"Yeah, I promise I won't say anything," he assured, placing a hand on Jackie's shoulder. "You can trust me."

Jackie sighed. "I know I can, and I do. It's just-"

"I can assure you that it's not going to affect our relationship in any way," he reassured and smiled.

She smiled back and let out a sigh of relief. "Alright."

"Alright," he copied. "What can you do that makes you a member of their team?"

She frowned a bit. "You're not going to like it."

"Nonsense, it's fine. Tell me."

She sighed again and reluctantly fired up her electricity, showing him a few miniature sparks coming from her hands. He gaped slightly as he stared at her palms. "That's not all I can do," she stated then flew a few feet off the ground.

"Oh my gosh," he whispered and sent her a look of sympathy. "When did you learn how to do that?"

"I found out a few years ago," she answered and flew back down to the ground. "I also have telepathy, which allows me to create illusions, like _he_ could."

Another reason why she didn't want her uncle to know about her being on the Team was because of her powers. Whenever he visited her and her mother many years ago, she always told him what her father tried teaching her. She also mentioned to him that she hoped to never get his superpowers, so she didn't have to have the reminder that she was the daughter of a monster.

Jim stood up and placed his hands on her shoulders. "You are nothing like him, Little Jackie. Just because you have his powers doesn't mean you are anything like him."

She smiled slightly. "Thanks, Uncle Jim."

He smiled in return and squeezed her shoulders gently. "I want you to remember that, okay?"

"Okay."

He nodded once and let her go. "Now you better go see your friends. You don't want to be late."

She nodded and walked over to her bag then picked it up. She gave both her uncle and her mother a quick hug, waved goodbye, then left, finally going on a mission.

* * *

12:20 pm.

Once the front door closed all the way, Jim turned to Jennifer. "You didn't tell her about Tony," he stated, glaring a bit. "Why didn't you tell her about Tony?"

"She's going on a mission; I wanted her to focus on it," Jennifer argued, glaring back.

"Yes, but she deserves to know why _I'm_ here."

"So you want to tell her you're only here because Tony is getting transferred to Arkham and not because you wanted to see her again?"

"I _do_ want to see her again, but she deserves to know the truth. You don't want her to find out from someone else and not from you; that'll cause tension between you two."

Jennifer sighed. "I know that, Jim."

"Then tell her once she returns." He lifted his bag up from beside him and took out his gun. "If you don't tell her, Jennifer, then I will."

She nodded in response as Jim loaded his gun.

* * *

New Orleans

September 14th, 16:42 CDT

"I can't believe I'm going to fight Superman," Jackie thought, brushing her now short brown hair behind her ear as she impatiently tapped her foot.

She had stayed with the Team the rest of the morning and afternoon, trying to keep the look of 'Nickie Jackson' in place. Changing into the criminal was the first thing Batman ordered her to do the moment she arrived. Changing was easier for her but attempting to stay as the criminal was challenging; Aqualad even pointed out to her that her hair kept turning blonde without her knowledge.

She sighed; she couldn't believe she had to play the part as a super criminal to get on the mission. Not to mention she had to earn the trust of both of the Terror Twins, which she didn't think would be easy. She had high doubts she could be so convincing, especially since she didn't have super strength and had to take on Superman.

She let out a shaky breath and clenched her fists, waiting for Batman to tell her to meet the Twins.

"Nice hair."

She gasped and whirled around to be met with the sight of the Man of Steel landing behind her. "Uh, thanks, Superman," she timidly replied, stuffing her hands in her pockets.

He smiled gently. "Are you nervous?" he asked.

She shrugged. "A little. I mean, I'm fighting you; you're one of the most powerful superheroes that walked the Earth."

He chuckled slightly. "I understand why you're nervous, but you don't have to be. I promise I won't hurt you."

She sighed then smiled. "I know."

He nodded once then looked past her. She turned slightly to see the Terror Twins land on a bridge, breaking it in the process.

"I better go," he stated and levitated off the ground. "Try to convince them that you are a super criminal before helping them battle Martian Manhunter and I. Also, remember that we've fought before."

She nodded and grinned as he started flying away from her. "No problem! Break a leg!"

Once he was out of sight, she frowned. "Break a leg? Really, Electra?" she berated herself. "You couldn't of said 'See you out there' instead?"

"Electra," Batman called through the earpiece she was wearing. "It's time. Remember: you are Nickie Jackson; a thief, robber, murderer, and Superman's newest enemy. Not a hero. Understood?"

She touched her earpiece, so he could hear her speak. "Understood. I'm about to become a criminal."

Taking a deep breath, she took to the sky, flying towards the Terror Twins. The two villains were currently throwing any kind of vehicle they could get their hands on at the two superheroes.

The sister, Tuppence, spotted her when she landed. "Who're you supposed to be?" she questioned, glaring a bit.

"I'm Nickie Jackson," Electra introduced. "I'm a former super criminal and current enemy of Superman himself."

"Never heard of ya," Tommy, Tuppence's brother, stated, smirking. "Plus, Superman I'm sure would've been enemies with someone less _easy_."

Electra glared. "Are you saying I'm weak?" she questioned, her tone sounding dark. "I'll have you know that I almost killed Superman about a week ago."

"Almost, huh?" Tommy questioned, smirking and crossing his arms. "How?"

"Simple. I'm much more stronger than him, so I was able to get him in a headlock and start crushing his skull with my bare hands."

"So you have super strength?" Tuppence asked, picking up a car and throwing it towards Superman, who easily blocked it and punched it into the water below.

"Heck, yes. It definitely comes in handy when fighting _him_ ," she hissed and glared at the Man of Steel, who narrowed his eyes in return when he locked eyes with hers for a brief moment. "So why don't I join you?"

Tommy scoffed. "Sorry, but we don't need, or want, your help. Go home and play with your dolls, little girl."

Jackie narrowed her eyes. "Little girl, huh? Do you know how to put Superman into unconsciousness, Tommy?"

The twins shared a glance before looking back at her. "You think you can knock him out?" the twin sister asked.

"I know I can," Electra corrected. "Because I've done it before."

"How?" the twin brother questioned, his eyes narrowing.

"You'll just have to let me show you."

The twins shared another glance before nodding once. "Alright," Tuppence replied. "Show us, darling."

'Nickie' nodded once and smirked at Superman. "First, let's distract them. Throw a vehicle or two at them before flying to meet me in the air. Got it?"

"You don't tell us what to do," Tommy stated. "But it's not a bad idea."

She shrugged, rolling her eyes. "Then do it."

The twins glared at her before each one picked up separate vehicles and threw them towards Martian Manhunter and Superman. The Martian phased through the vehicle thrown at him and Superman punched his into the water easily.

That was the moment Jackie aimed a punch at Superman and 'hit' him square in the jaw, causing him to fly backwards.

"So we meet again, Superman?" Electra questioned, firing up her electricity. "Let's see if you learned anything from our last encounter."

Superman smirked and flew rapidly towards her. Her eyes widened in fear, and she created an electric shield that would hopefully protect her. Unfortunately, it did not. He went right through it, grabbed her forearms, and threw her back towards the bridge. She stopped before she hit it and flew back towards him with the Terror Twins flying beside her.

"Looks like you're not doing so good," Tommy pointed out.

"Relax. I'm just making him think that he's winning," Electra replied, smirking at Tommy. "He'll be out cold before you can say 'Texas'."

Tommy glared and threw his sister at Superman before charging at the Martian. Martian Manhunter and Superman both spun the twins around a few times before throwing them in the direction of an abandoned warehouse, where M'gann, Aqualad, Red Tornado, Superboy, and Batman were waiting to arrest them.

Jackie yelped when she was suddenly grabbed by her forearms and looked up to see Superman had grabbed her.

He smirked. "You are one of my greatest enemies, 'Nickie'," he stated, and she gulped. "You have to join them."

"Please don't throw me as hard as you did them," she begged. "I don't have super strength."

"I told you I wouldn't hurt you, and I intend to keep that promise."

Before she could say anything else, he started spinning around with her, too quickly for Electra's taste. She swallowed down her lunch that attempted to come up then screamed when he let her go.

She attempted to fly but with her freaking out so much, she couldn't signal it to turn on. "Oh gosh! I'm going to die! I'm going to die!" she exclaimed in her mind and curled up, bracing herself for the hard landing.

It never came; instead, she felt herself slowing down. She sighed in relief; M'gann must have been levitating her to keep her from getting her spine snapped.

Suddenly, she was dropped, or thrown to make it look like she landed harshly, a few feet in front of Tuppence and Tommy. She grunted then bit her lip when pain spread itself throughout her back and to her head. "Ow," she muttered and sat up, looking for any sign of Batman or any of the Team members as well as massage her shoulder to ease the pain.

The twins groaned in pain and sat up, looking around the warehouse and taking in their surroundings.

Tommy glared at 'Nickie'. "Nice going, _Nickie_. You failed."

"I'm not the one that charged at Superman so foolishly," she spat back, noticing Aqualad and Red Tornado come out of hiding with inhibitor collars in their hands. "I could've if you had listened to me."

He growled a bit and stood up, clenching his fists. "Why I outta-Hey!" he exclaimed when Aqualad placed the collar around the villain's neck and kept a firm grip on him before bringing him down to his knees.

Electra stood up and looked over to see Tuppence in the same predicament with Red Tornado holding her down. The seventeen year old gasped suddenly when she felt a collar being placed around her neck, turning on, and looked over her shoulder to see Batman behind her. He took out her earpiece and placed it in his utility belt.

"M-My strength," Tommy weakly spoke, confused. "But I had just gone toe-to-toe with Superman."

"Congratulations." Superboy scoffed, emerging from the shadows looking like Tommy with M'gann beside her. "That's more quality time than he's ever given me."

M'gann looked at Superboy sympathetically before walking over to Tuppence and touching her shoulder. Jackie sent him a confused glance, wondering what was going on between him and Superman.

He met her glance once then shrugged at her. "Got your inspiration, Sister Tuppence?" Superboy asked M'gann, using a southern accent.

M'gann shapeshifted to look like Tuppence. "I believe I do, Brother Tommy," she replied back, using a southern accent, and causing Tuppence to gasp in shock.

"Somebody tell me what's going on?!" Tommy shouted, glaring.

"It's simple," Batman started and walked over to M'gann and Superboy before placing inhibitor collars on their necks. "They're under arrest."

* * *

Belle Reve Parish

September 16th, 21:55 CDT.

Jackie never thought this would happen. Getting arrested, going to prison, and staying with the most dangerous criminals in the entire world. It was her father's dream for her coming true. Too bad for him, though, it was only for a mission.

She glanced over at the security guard to see him glancing from one super criminal to the other. When his eyes landed on her and met her gaze, he tapped the gun he was holding two times, letting her know not to try anything. She sighed in annoyance, hoping the ride to Belle Reve would be over soon.

She glanced over at Icicle Junior, surprised to see he was staring at her. He smirked and winked at her. She blushed and looked away, hoping she didn't see him that often in prison. She then heard Miss Martian, or Tuppence, make a sound of disgust and looked over to see Icicle Junior now attempting to flirt with her.

"Ew," she thought and looked at Superboy, or Tommy, who glared a bit.

"Dude." the young Ice Villain whispered to Tommy, leaning forward. "Dude! You're sister is _sweet_! How about you put in a good word for me?"

Now 'Nickie' rolled her eyes, annoyed that he had the nerve to say that in front of Tommy, well Superboy.

"Sit down!" the guard ordered and hit the butt of his gun to the former villain's chest, knocking him back into his seat. "We're here. Welcome to Belle Reve."

Jackie gulped and waited a few minutes until she felt the vehicle come to a complete stop. The door opened automatically and the guard walked towards them then gestured for her and the others to follow him. She stood up and obeyed the guard and walked out of the transport vehicle first. She looked around, not surprised to see several guards holding weapons and watching the newly arrived criminals very closely.

She stopped when a hand was placed on her shoulder. "Wait here," another guard behind her ordered.

She obeyed and watched as Icicle Junior stepped up to stand next to her with 'Tuppence' and 'Tommy' then Mr. Freeze. She looked up when the others did, now noticing two figures standing up there. The one standing closest to them was a woman with dark brown skin, long black hair pulled into a low pony, and was wearing what looked to be a security uniform, in Jackie's opinion. The other one behind the woman was a man with white skin and wore a suit but the teen couldn't tell what his face looked like since he was too far from her to make it out.

"I am the law of last resort," the woman began. "My name is Amanda Waller. I am not your mother, your maiden aunt, or your friend. _I_ am your warden and _you_ are my prisoners."

The teen shivered a bit in fear, not liking the warden already.

"The proprietary collars you wear are custom designed to inhibit your specific meta abilities," Waller continued, holding up a small black remote. "No strength, no ice, no electricity."

"In addition," she added on, "the collars can and will be used to discipline inmates. A con who breaks the rules gets _one_ warning." She turned on the collars, and Jackie let out a yelp and fell on her knees, feeling the electric sparks run through her. The action caused her to remember how her father abused her with his electricity, affecting the image of 'Nickie' stuck in her mind. She could only hope she still looked like her.

All the other inmates, including her, slumped forward once the collars turned off and panted, seemingly out of breath. She looked over at M'gann and Superboy, hoping they would look at her to see if she still looked like the criminal she was supposed to portray. As if she read her mind, the Martian did look over at her, nodded in assurance that she still looked the same, then looked back at the warden. The eldest teen let out a breath of relief.

"If order has not been restored, the next shock will render the offender unconscious. At the slightest hint of trouble, this facility goes into lock down. Belle Reve's walls are thick enough to hold Superman. We know. We've checked. No one's ever escaped Belle Reve. No one ever will," the Warden informed then looked behind her at the man. "Oh. This is Professor Hugo Strange. He _is_ your maiden aunt."

"Actually, I'm the prison psychiatrist," he corrected, walking over to stand next to Waller, "and I promise you a sincere attempt at rehabilitation."

"Because we know you types are _all_ about sincerity," Waller concluded, smirking down at the inmates.

The eldest teen shivered again and was forced upon her feet. She and 'Tuppence' were led away from the other three inmates.

As soon as they reached the other cells, M'gann glanced once at Jackie then looked forward again. "Connor, Electra, can you hear me?" she telepathically asked.

Electra widened her eyes but resumed her solemn expression as she was separated from M'gann and led down a different hallway. "I can hear you, M'gann," she replied telepathically. "I'm a little surprised."

"Yeah, but I thought the collars-" Superboy started to reply until M'gann interrupted.

"Custom-designed to inhibit Tuppence Terror's super strength, not my telepathy. But your strength is-"

"Not at Superman's level," he interrupted, sounding bitter. "I get it."

"Whoa, chill out, Superboy," Jackie demanded gently. "I'm sure that's not what she meant."

"Electra's right. That's not what I was-" M'gann started.

"Whatever," he responded.

The eldest teen furrowed her brow in confusion. What the heck did Superboy have against Superman? She had to ask one of the Team members after this mission ended.

"M'gann," she called out telepathically. "Since you have your telepathy still, does that mean you're telepathically supporting me?"

"Yes, at least I'm trying to. When we were all shocked, I managed to connect with your mind, attempting to keep your illusion from fading, but you did most of the work."

"I thought I was losing it. Thank you."

"Of course. I told you I would help if you needed it."

The seventeen year old smiled inwardly, liking that she was on the Martian's good side.

"Welcome to your new cell," the guard commented behind her then pushed her forward. She grunted and caught herself before she could fall. Her hearing picked up the cell door sliding behind her, meaning that it was closing.

She sighed and looked to her left to see someone laying down with their back to her on the bottom bunk, so she climbed up to the top and sat down on the mattress. As soon as she was comfortable, she concentrated on blocking out M'gann and Superboy, so they couldn't hear her thoughts. Once assured that she separated herself from the link, she began to think.

There was only one thing on her mind that made itself reappear once Superboy's dislike for Superman was made known. It was the possibility of a mole on the Team. She didn't know why she hadn't thought about it until then. Maybe she had completely disregarded the thought that there was a mole because she convinced herself that her Team members could be trusted?

Still, she knew she had to keep a lookout, especially now that she knew Superboy didn't like Superman; that could be a motive to betray the Team; it could be a way to get back at the Man of Steel.

Suddenly, her thoughts turned to Jade and her warning. The assassin wanted her to leave the Team to protect the teen's mother, yet she still hadn't, possibly wouldn't. It didn't mean she didn't care for her mother's safety; she just knew her mother would be disappointed in her, and she would be disappointed in herself too.

She had created a life with the Team. There was no way she could leave them. Not after finally finding something good she could do with her life after so many years of forcibly doing several bad things. The Team was her chance to start over, to do good, to be good. How could she throw all of that away? She couldn't, which was why she stopped thinking about Jade's persistence for her to leave.

Jackie came out her thoughts suddenly when her mattress was kicked from beneath it. She grunted and crawled over to the edge of it and looked over the railing to see a girl with white skin, brown eyes, and red hair now laying on her back and looking up at her with her arms folded underneath her head.

"Hiya, roommate," the criminal greeted, smirking at her.

"Um, hi," the hero replied, giving her a confused look. "What's up?"

"Just thought I'd say hi." She then tilted her head slightly. "How old are you?"

"Uh, nineteen."

"Finally, a roommate my age! What are you in for?"

"Um, I'm Superman's enemy and fought several superheroes in the past year."

"Oh cool."

"What did you do?"

"I killed people by using my pyrokinesis and even attempted to kill a superhero once, but I lost that battle and ended up here."

"What's pyrokinesis?"

"Why it's the ability to start fires using my mind." The criminal then raised an eyebrow at her. "Shouldn't you have known that?"

Jackie shrugged. "No, I only know what super strength, electricity powers, and flight are. Everything else I don't pay attention to."

The criminal shrugged. "I guess that makes sense. What's your name?"

"Nickie Jackson. Yours?"

"Brenda Clint."

The seventeen year old had to use whatever strength she had to suppress the urge to gasp and back away in fear. Her roommate, Brenda Clint, was her cousin whom she had never met before and hoped she never would. She was the daughter of Uncle Jim, but he never talked about her because it pained him to do so, so Jackie had to ask her mom to tell her about her cousin.

She learned that Brenda had the ability to create fire with her mind, but she didn't know what the name of that meta ability was called. The first time Brenda had murdered someone was when she had first gotten her meta ability and killed a teenage girl at her school who had been bullying her for two years. Ever since, she's burned someone alive whoever wronged her, but Uncle Jim believed she also did it for her own enjoyment, which pained him immensely when he came up with that assumption.

She remembered the day Uncle Jim found out that Brenda had been the serial killer in their neighborhood. He had turned her in and immediately went to the loving arms of herself and her mom. He stayed with them for weeks, and they had become close.

One week after he turned his daughter in, she had broken out and found him. Jackie wasn't home at the time, but she had been told that Brenda had attempted to kill Uncle Jim. Though she would never admit it out loud, she was grateful her father was there to stop Brenda and put her in a coma for a month.

Jackie even believed that the reason why he was always treating her like a child, or his 'Little Jackie' as he called her, was because he thought of her as a second chance to be a father again. It would definitely explain all the scoldings, the treats, the playful moments, the praises, and the life lessons he gave her.

A hand was suddenly waved in front of her face, bringing her out of her thoughts. "Uh, hello? Earth to Nickie," Brenda called. "Anybody home?"

"Um, yeah. Sorry," Jackie replied and looked to her right to see Brenda now sitting on the right side of her, making her anxious to run.

"Where'd you go? You seemed lost in thought."

"Yeah, it's just that your name was my mother's name," Electra lied, hoping to sound convincing.

"Your mom's name was Brenda?"

"Yeah, she abused me as a child."

Brenda stared at her for a few minutes before shrugging. "Life sucks like that. It totally betrays you."

"Um, yeah."

The former criminal shrugged again. "Well, I guess things happen for a reason. If you didn't get abused by your mom, you wouldn't be here today."

"Here? How is 'here' any better than anywhere else?"

She smirked. "Well, you're with people who understand you because some of them grew up in abusive homes."

The seventeen year old blinked a few times at her in surprise. Her cousin was assuring her that this was where she needed to be because there were people here that understood her or have gone through the same hardships as her. It was weird coming from a psychopathic criminal.

"Thanks, I'll remember that."

Brenda smiled and nudged her shoulder. "Want to be friends?"

"Well, I think we're going to have to be since we're cellmates now."

The older teen giggled and jumped off the bed. "I'm going to head to bed. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

* * *

"No," Jackie muttered in her sleep. "No, don't. Don't do it! Don't hurt her!"

Her eyes widened and she gasped, sitting up. Placing a hand on heart, which was now accelerating in pace, she looked around, noticing she was still in the prison. She sighed in relief; it was just a nightmare.

She looked over the railing to make sure she hadn't woken up Brenda. When she looked down at the other mattress, she noticed it empty. Her eyes narrowed in confusion; where was Brenda? Was she escorted out during the middle of the night? Did she manage to escape?

She gasped and shot her attention towards the cell door when the sound of it slowly sliding open reached her ears. She didn't move, she didn't want to. Wasn't a guard supposed to appear in the entryway by now?

Finally, after a moment, she slowly climbed down the ladder and walked towards the opening. She looked out, expecting to see guards either rushing over to her or pointing their guns at her but there was no one around. She didn't even hear any shouts from the other prisoners to help them get out.

She stepped out of her cell, making herself visible to practically everyone. "Hello?" she yelled out, hoping to hear a response. Another moment passed and still no one had responded to her.

She gulped and looked to her left, wondering if she should walk around and figure out where everyone was. It would probably be the best option if she did 'cause if someone found her alone in her cell when she wasn't supposed to be, she feared she would be shocked into unconsciousness. They could do the same thing if they found her walking around without any guards though.

She sighed and started walking, figuring it would be better to walk around than to wait in the cell for someone to find her. She could probably find M'gann too and ask her if she knew where everyone went.

Her eyes widened, and she stopped in her tracks. M'gann! The telepathic link! "M'gann! M'gann, you there?" she called out telepathically. "M'gann, please answer me!"

No response.

She sighed again and continued walking, hoping she could find her way to the Martian's cell or even the warden's office to demand what was going on.

As soon as she turned a corner, she froze and her eyes widened in fear at what she saw before her. All the cell doors were open and the prisoners, well, they were lying on the ground. None of them were moving.

She gulped again and took a few cautious steps forward until she reached one of the prisoners. With her foot, she nudged them, hoping they would move or do something to tell her they were still alive. When the prisoner, a female, didn't show any signs of life, she turned her over with her foot.

As soon as he was lying on her back, she took a step back in fear at the sight of her. Her face was just burnt bone with a gaping skeletal mouth. But what really scared her were the eyes; instead of just darkened sockets, the eyeballs were still visible and widened, displaying fear.

"Oh my gosh," she muttered in shock. "Who would do something like this?"

"Electra! Help!"

The teen's head shot up at the sound of M'gann's voice and, fearing that she was in danger, she started running forward, trying so hard to avoid stepping on any of the bodies. "M'gann!" she yelled back. "Where are you?!"

"Electra!"

Jackie ran down several hallways, looking in cells, offices, and rooms, just hoping to find the Martian. "M'gann!"

"Electra!"

She stopped and whipped around, hearing M'gann's voice coming from behind her. But she was just down there? She didn't see her down there. "M'gann!"

"Help!"

Superboy's yell reached her ears that time. But this was the female side of the prison; he shouldn't be over here. It didn't matter though; she had to find them. "Connor!" she called out. "M'gann! Where are you two?!"

"Electra! Help us!" M'gann's voice screamed. "Please!"

"Electra!" Connor yelled.

The teen whimpered, trying to determine where their screams were coming from and why they echoed all around her. "Tell me where you are!"

"Go right!" Superboy yelled.

That's the direction she went. Her heart rate sped up, and she began panting, but she wouldn't stop running. Not until she found Connor and M'gann.

Their screams were becoming closer to her and, when she passed another hallway, they started to become distant. She turned back and went down that hallway, now hearing them scream louder. "I'm coming! Hang on!"

The moment she reached the cafeteria, she stopped, noticing that it was all quiet now. She looked from one part of the room to the other, searching frantically for any sign of the two teens. She couldn't really see anything though since darkness enveloped the room. "Hello?" she asked, a fearful squeak slipping out. "M'gann? Superboy?"

No response reached her ears, so she took a cautious step forward. Right as she did, the lights turned on, and she squinted at the sudden brightness. Once her vision began to refocus, she looked up, gasped, and took a step back.

"No," she muttered. "No, it can't be."

There, in the center of the room, stood Brenda with Jackie's father right next to her. How did he get out? How did he find her here, of all places?

He smiled wickedly at his daughter, causing her to flinch. "Jackie," he started, his voice raspy. "It's been a long time."

She cleared her throat. "You have me confused with someone else."

He chuckled then looked at Brenda and nudged her. "Do you hear that? I have her confused with someone else."

Her cousin snickered. "You're not fooling anyone, Jackie. You don't have your black hair, your brown eyes, or anything else that's not yours anymore" she pointed out.

The younger teen lifted a hand up to her hair and pulled a piece in front of her, now noticing that it wasn't jet black like it should have been; it was long and blonde.

"And," Brenda continued, "you're not wearing a mask."

Her mask? She wasn't wearing it? Jackie lifted up her hand to her eyes, touched her forehead and slid her hand down, realizing they were right; she didn't have a mask or anything covering her eyes. "How?" she asked, her voice soft.

"I heard that you finally developed your superpowers," he explained simply, "so I had to come see you."

"Why?"

"To train you, sweetheart."

"No," she protested, her eyes narrowing and her voice raising. "I don't want or need your training!"

He sighed and glanced down at Brenda. "I told you she wouldn't accept my training."

Brenda shook her head. "That's a shame, Jackie," she commented. "He'd be the perfect mentor."

"Then maybe you should become his trainee," she retorted and crossed her arms, "because there's no way I'm going to be."

"That's the thing, Jackie; she can't be my apprentice," her father replied and stepped over to stand behind Brenda. "She doesn't have our electricity, flight, or telepathy; it wouldn't benefit me at all."

Jackie rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to say something but then froze in fear when her father started electrocuting Brenda, causing her cousin to scream in pain. She didn't move or say anything; she was too shocked and frozen in fear. She had known her father had killed before, but she never witnessed it. He finally dropped Brenda, who wasn't breathing or moving.

Before the teen could comprehend that her cousin was dead, she choked as a hand clutched onto her neck and her feet dangled off the floor. Her mouth gaped open in an attempt to breathe in some oxygen, but the grip around her throat was too tight.

She looked down at her father, who was flying them up higher in the air with her in his grasp. "This," he started, "is what happens when you don't do what I want"

She struggled to get out of his hold and even attempted to fly out but his grip on her was too tight. "Others suffer" he continued. "It's not just anyone though, no, no, no, no."

He tightened his hold on her, causing a choked sound to escape her mouth. He landed on the second story of the prison and threw her to the ground. She fell on her side and took in many greedy breaths, attempting to make her lungs stop burning from the lack of oxygen.

"It's the people you care about," he finished and turned around to look up at the ceiling.

"It's the people I care about," she muttered and hesitantly turned around, expecting the worst. She gasped as her eyes widened. There, hanging from the ceiling by chains wrapped around their torsos, were Superboy, M'gann, and Aqualad. "No."

She stood up with weak knees and grasped onto the railing to keep herself up. It was her teammates-no, her friends hanging up there. They were already burnt to crisps, their skeletons black. She could only tell it was them because of their uniforms, which weren't completely burnt. "No," she muttered again then glanced at her father. "Why?"

"Why? Because _we_ are meant to be a team," he replied and walked closer to her, causing her to take a step back. "We'll be _one_ , Jackie."

"One," she muttered and shook her head. "Not gonna happen."

He smirked as he continued walking closer to her. "You don't have a choice, sweetheart."

Before she could do anything, he flew at her, grabbed her firmly by the shoulders and electrocuted her. She screamed as the electric sparks ran throughout her body and her body began spazzing out in response to the electricity. The last thing she saw before her vision darkened was her father's dark blue eyes light up as a wicked grin formed on his face.

* * *

4:36 CDT

Jackie gasped as she bolted upright, trembling. She grabbed a hold of her hand to try to stop the trembling as she looked around, now noticing she was still in her cell. Wanting to reassure herself it was just a nightmare, she leaned to the side of her bunk bed and looked over it to see Brenda lying there, alive and asleep.

The seventeen year old sighed in relief and laid back down. It was only a nightmare and since it was a nightmare, that meant that Superboy, M'gann, and Aqualad were alive and safe.

She grasped onto the sheets of her bed, still trembling at how powerful and freaky that nightmare was. Her friends, the prisoners, guards, and her cousin died at the hands of her father. He wanted to train her and she would've been subject to his abusive lessons and terrifying illusions her whole life if the nightmare was real. Her trembling increased at the thought of having to become his apprentice and having to do whatever he told her to do in fear of her and her mother getting hurt.

Where did this nightmare even come from? She hadn't had one that was this freaky in two years. Why were they now returning? Was it because she met her cousin and _that_ triggered old memories?

She scoffed and turned on her side as she brought the blanket up closer to her body. It didn't matter; she would stop having these nightmares after the mission was over. At least, that's what she hoped.

"It was just a nightmare," she thought to assure herself and closed her eyes. "Only a nightmare."

"Would you like to talk about it, Electra?"

Jackie gasped and widened her eyes but calmed down when she realized it was Aqualad's voice inside her head. But how did he even talk to her when there was no telepathic link set up between them? "Uh, no," she answered hesitantly and telepathically. "How are you talking to me? Telepathically, I mean."

"You set up a link between us, Electra," the Atlantean replied.

"I-I did?" she questioned in disbelief. "But how? I thought I could only create illusions."

"Perhaps you can do more than you believe," he answered. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she responded and closed her eyes again. "I just had a stupid nightmare; it's nothing to be concerned about."

"On the contrary, as soon as you set up the link, you've been sending me images."

She flinched; did she send one of herself without the mask and her father? If he did, she hoped she had the power to erase certain memories from the mind. "W-What kind of images?"

"Electric sparks, skeletons, _us_."

Us? Oh no. Did that mean she accidentally sent him an image of him and her together? That wouldn't make any sense though; she was having a nightmare, not a romantic dream with Kaldur'ahm as her date. "Us?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yes. Superboy, Miss Martian, and myself were hanging from a ceiling with chains tightened around us and our bodies were darkened skeletons."

She sighed in relief; thank goodness it was that and not anything more. "Oh."

"Who did that to us?"

"Um." She tightened her hold on her blanket. "An old enemy."

"The same enemy that gave you the scars?"

She flinched again then sighed. "Yes."

He was silent for a few moments, making Jackie wonder if he decided to be done talking to her, but then he asked, "Does your old enemy have electric powers as well?"

Oh no. Did he have suspicion that she was somehow related to her 'old enemy' just because they both had electric powers? Did she just make herself more of a suspect as the mole? "Uh, yes."

"I see," he answered. "I can assure you, Electra, that you are under the protection of the Team. We won't let anything happen to you."

"Thanks, Aqualad."

"Get some rest, Electra. You have a big day tomorrow."

"Yeah, right."

* * *

9: 30 CDT

Jackie walked into the workout room with Brenda, exhausted from last night. She didn't fall back asleep last night because that darn nightmare prevented her from trying. She wanted to talk to Aqualad for the rest of the night, but she figured he needed rest too, so he could pull her and her teammates out when they found out why four ice villains were all sent to Belle Reve. She rubbed her eyes and yawned.

"You look awful," Brenda pointed out, now standing in front of her.

"Gee, thanks," 'Nickie' sarcastically replied.

"Did you not sleep?"

"Not really, no, but I'll most likely wake up as the day goes on."

"Sure." She nodded towards a treadmill. "Why don't we go workout? Maybe it'll help you wake up a little faster."

"Yeah, maybe it will."

Her cousin smiled at her then frowned as her eyes glanced over Jackie's shoulder. "Looks like someone recognizes you."

The seventeen year old gave her a confused look before turning to look over her shoulder and seeing 'Tuppence' staring at her. "Yeah, we kind of fought before I came here," she explained to her cousin. "I should probably explain myself to her."

"Need me to come with you?" she asked, glaring at Miss Martian. "I may rely a lot on my pyrokinesis, but I do know how to physically hurt someone without it."

"Thanks, but I'll be okay."

Brenda nodded once and walked over to the treadmill while Jackie walked over to Miss Martian. "What's up?"

"Nothing much, darling," 'Tuppence' replied before setting up a telepathic link with her and telepathically saying, "I'm worried about Superboy. I think he's dealing with a lot of stress."

'Nickie' looked over her shoulder to see Brenda watching the two of them as she ran on the treadmill. "I think we should talk about the fight," she commented out loud before replying telepathically, "I noticed that yesterday when he got really defensive and snapped at you. I believe it has something to do with Superman."

"All's forgiven," 'Tuppence' replied out loud before replying telepathically, "I think that too. Superboy is upset with Superman."

"Why?"

M'gann sighed. "Because Superman is like Conner's father, but he's been avoiding mentoring Conner and helping him out."

"So that's what's been going on with him," she thought, mainly to herself.

"I want to help him."

"I think that's a problem between him and Superman; you should stay out of it."

"I know. It's just-"

"No, M'gann. Stay out of it. You don't want all that anger Superboy's keeping in to blow up in your face, do you?"

M'gann shoulders drooped, and she looked down. "No."

"Then promise me you'll stay out of it. He and Superman need to work it out themselves."

"Well, I-" M'gann started before something caught her attention and her eyes widened. "Conner!"

Jackie turned around and noticed Superboy was surrounded by five other prisoners, most of them cracking their knuckles and glaring at said-boy. "Oh no."

Her and M'gann immediately ran over to the glass window to watch the fight about to go down.

"Alright. A fight," Brenda commented and smiled as she stood next to 'Nickie' "My money's on Brick."

"Whose Brick?"

"The big buff red guy with the white hair."

"Oh."

"So whose your money on?"

"Uh, I'm not betting," Jackie replied then glanced at Brenda. "Wait, what money? We're in prison."

"When I get out, I'm going to hit a few banks."

"Good to know," she muttered then turned her attention back to the fight.

Superboy was grabbed by Brick and restrained for another prisoner, who wore a yellow helmet, to hit him.

The prisoner in the helmet took on a look of realization before he could punch Superboy. "Wait. I know him! He's-"

He was cut off when Superboy managed to throw Brick off of him and throw him in his direction. Brick landed on top of him, causing both of them to fall to the ground. "Not wise. Not wise at all," Brick commented, glaring, as his friends grabbed and held onto Superboy, restraining him.

"Don't you understand?" the prisoner in the helmet asked Brick. "He's-"

"He's Tommy Terror!" Jackie heard M'gann exclaim telepathically, and, she guessed, it was directed towards the prisoner, who held his head in confusion.

"He's Tommy Terror," the prisoner finished weakly.

"He's roadkill!" Brick exclaimed and stood up, preparing to hit Superboy.

"Enough!"

Jackie looked to her right to see a tall well-built older man with gray hair and a slight beard stand up from sitting on the bleachers in the room. "Who's that?" she asked Brenda.

"Icicle Senior. He's the big boss on the men's side of the wing."

"Icicle Senior? Any relation to Icicle Junior?"

"He's his father."

"Huh."

"Kid's got guts," Icicle Senior continued. "The kind of guts a father wouldn't mind seeing in his own son."

Icicle Junior was thrown forward from being held back by one of the prisoners and stood in front of Superboy. "Great to see you too, dad," he commented sarcastically.

"Get over here," his father demanded.

Icicle Junior walked past Brick towards his father with Superboy in tow. "Not you, Terror," his father stated, and Brick pushed Superboy back. "Just Junior."

"Suspicious, is it not?" Jackie telepathically asked M'gann as she looked over at her.

The Martian nodded once and then walked away from Jackie, telling her telepathically it wouldn't be wise to spend time so much together, considering they both had reputations to uphold.

"I really don't like Tuppence," Brenda commented and glared at Miss Martian's retreating back.

"How come?"

"I don't know. She just gives me a really bad feeling," she replied then smirked. "Not to mention, I really hate the way she does her hair."

"Way to judge a book by it's cover."

Brenda shrugged. "When you're a criminal, you've got to look for certain qualities in other criminals to know if you should make friends with them or stay as far away from them as possible."

"So you're afraid of Tuppence?" the seventeen year old asked, smirking.

"More like, I would kill her if I didn't have this collar on," she corrected and tapped on her collar once. "She seems like the perfect target. Not to mention, it would definitely get me a bit more respect around here."

Jackie hummed. "Want to go on the treadmill?" she asked, changing the subject.

"I'd rather lift weights."

She frowned. "Oh great. Something that will tire me out more."

"Don't worry. I'll help you out. Come on."

The teen sighed and let herself get pulled away from the glass window and towards the nearest bench press.

* * *

4: 55 pm.

Jackie rubbed her sore muscles as she groaned in pain. Brenda had forced her to do a lot of work earlier that day on that stupid bench press, causing her to feel really weak and had to ask Miss Martian if she was holding her illusion up okay; luckily, she was.

"You're such a baby," Brenda insulted from the bottom bunk, listening to Jackie. "All you did was a few pushes."

"It felt like a thousand," 'Nickie' complained and rubbed the back of her neck. "I never want to do that again."

"That's too bad for you 'cause we're going to do more tomorrow."

She groaned and laid down, closing her eyes. "Fine but can we please do the treadmill first?"

Brenda groaned in annoyance and kicked the top bunk, causing Jackie to grunt. "How have you taken down several superheroes in the past with the amount of strength you have? Seriously! It's like you're the weakest person in the world!"

"Well, I wouldn't be complaining so much if this collar wasn't preventing me from using my super strength."

"Whatever."

A sliding sound reached the teen's ears, and she looked over to the door to see a slot slide open and fresh uniforms slide through. They dropped on the ground, and Brenda immediately rolled off the bed, stood, then picked up the new uniforms. "It's about time we got new uniforms," she grumbled and tossed one up to Jackie, who caught it, and raised her voice a little. "Change. We probably won't be getting new uniforms until tomorrow."

"The break is coming sooner than later," Conner informed telepathically, and Jackie jumped, forgetting Miss Martian had kept a link up after the fight that day.

"Updating Aqualad now," Miss Martian replied to him.

Jackie immediately began taking off her uniform from the top bunk but had difficulty since she wasn't standing; she'd probably look like a complete idiot if Brenda turned around while she was changing.

"Time to pull you out," Aqualad informed, startling Jackie as she started putting on her new uniform. "Call in the League."

"Icicle would only postpone," Miss Martian argued. "We need to learn how they're busting out, or they'll just try again."

"I have to agree with M'gann on this," Jackie interjected. "The mission would be a failure if we don't stay to find out how they're planning on breaking out."

Aqualad stayed silent for a few moments before reluctantly agreeing. "And, Electra," he continued, earning said-teen's full attention, "be careful."

She smiled and zipped up her uniform. "Don't worry, Aqualad. I will be."

* * *

7: 15 pm.

"Man I hate the food around here," Brenda complained as she played with her meat with a fork.

"Now look who's complaining," Jackie pointed out, smirking.

Her cousin glared but before she could retort, their time in the mess room was up and they needed to head back to their cells. Jackie and Brenda sighed as they stood up from their seats and started walking back but, as soon as they reached their cell and the door closed, loud alarms blared above them, causing both to cover their ears.

"What the heck?!" Brenda exclaimed.

"What's going on?!" Jackie yelled.

"It's a lock down!"

"For what?"

Brenda was about to reply until she gasped as her collar turned off. Jackie's turned off too, making her realize the breakout was going down. Her cousin smirked as her eyes glowed red and pointed at the bunk bed. The bed went up in flames, surprising Jackie as she backed up from the fire. "Yes," her cousin breathed out then pointed at the cell door. "Time to get out of here!"

Electra grabbed Brenda's arm, stopping her. "You'll burn us alive in here if you light that door on fire!"

She rolled her eyes. "Then break down the door with your super strength."

"Super strength. Right."

She couldn't break down that door. The only powers she had were electricity, telepathy, and flight. 'Nickie was only supposed to have flight, electricity, and super strength. She didn't actually have super strength! How was she going to break down that door?!

"Well, go on," Brenda urged, gesturing to the door. "Break it down."

Before the seventeen year old could reply, a loud metal-crushing noise reached her ears, causing her to look towards the door to see a tall and well-built woman with dark brown tattoos running down from her face to her neck pulling out the door. She tore the door off completely and threw it to the side.

Brenda smiled. "Thanks, Devastation. I owe you one."

Devastation nodded once and walked away, letting the two teens to walk out of their cell and join the riot.

Once she was out of earshot, Brenda glared at Jackie. "You should have opened the door!"

"I was going to until she did it for us," Electra retorted and pointed at the riot. "Are we going to keep arguing or do you actually want to get out of here?"

Her cousin glared but then ran towards the fight, lighting up fires around the guards.

Once she was sure Brenda wasn't looking, she fired up her electricity and disabled the collar; she didn't want her cousin to know 'Nickie' didn't use her 'super strength' to take off the collar. She dropped the collar and exhaled deeply before running after Brenda to make sure she wasn't trying to kill any guards.

"Superboy, Electra, I think my power-!" M'gann exclaimed in her mind before gasping and breaking the link.

"M'gann!" Electra called out telepathically in worry.

As quick as she could, she attempted to set up a telepathic link with Superboy just like she did with Aqualad, but it, unfortunately, wasn't working. "Perfect," she grumbled and followed the paths of fire, searching for Brenda to see if she could help her find 'Tuppence'.

She ran into the laundry room, where she expected Brenda to be because of the large fire close to the entryway, and froze when she saw Miss Martian. Her friend was frozen in a large block of ice, not moving and not breathing; she immediately had doubts that her teammate was still alive, and it was all her fault. If she had just searched harder and been a little faster, she could have prevented that.

"Dang it, Frost!" Brenda exclaimed, startling Jackie out of her thoughts, as she stood in front of said-villain. "Tuppence was mine!"

"Sorry, but I found her first," Frost replied, smirking. "She was a traitor and needed to be taken out immediately."

"You could have at least let me set her on fire first!"

Frost scoffed and turned away from Brenda as she walked over to the wall with Devastation. "Sorry, Brenda, but I had to deal with her to prevent her from foiling our plan. Now, be a good girl and tell the others that there will be an opening to the men's wing in a matter of minutes."

Brenda glared as her hair burst into flames. "Brenda!" Jackie called out, wanting to prevent any blood from spilling, and quickly hurried over to her, glancing at Tuppence. She placed a hand on her cousin's shoulder. "Let's go. You don't want to end up like Tuppence, do you?"

Her cousin huffed and started walking out of the laundromat. "Stupid, Frost," she insulted when they were out of ear-shot. "I'll burn her to a crisp one of these days."

Jackie nodded but didn't say anything as she tried to continue connecting with Superboy. Unfortunately, it was difficult, but she kept trying. After her sixth attempt at contacting Superboy, she growled in frustration and exclaimed in her mind, "Conner!"

"What?" Conner's voice echoed in her mind. "Electra?"

"Finally!" she exclaimed again. "I've been trying to reach you! What's going on over there?"

"Junior and I just turned on the collars again; most of the criminals should be unconscious. Now we're trying to break through to the woman's wing."

"Yeah, Killer Frost and Devastation are trying to break down the wall in the laundry room."

"Electra, tell me," he whispered in her mind, fear evident in his tone. "Is M'gann safe? Did you find her?"

Her face fell as they entered the laundromat again, waiting for the wall to break through. "Superboy, I don't know how to tell you this but-"

She gasped and stepped back when the wall suddenly broke through with Superboy in the entryway.

"Well, well, well. It's the brother," Frost started with a hand on her hip and a smirk on her face as she looked to left. "Care to share Tuppy's fate?"

Conner looked to his left and he gasped when he saw Miss Martian frozen in the ice. He growled and glared at Frost before screaming and charging, but Devastation quickly intervened.

Frost held out her hands as she aimed at both of them. "Get out of the way!" she yelled before becoming frustrated when they wouldn't move. "Oh, fine! I'll ice you both!"

Jackie immediately flew over and fired up her electricity. She immediately aimed at Frost, but as soon as she threw an electric ball at her, the ice villain froze Devastation. The ball hit the ice villain, and she fell as Conner began pushing the frozen Devastation towards her at a fast pace. He threw her, causing Devastation to land on Frost and throw them back, knocking them out effectively.

Electra landed, staring at 'Tuppence'. "Conner, I-" she started.

"You're a traitor too, Nickie?!" Brenda exclaimed, fuming as her hair turned into fire.

Jackie immediately looked over at Brenda then looked at Conner, who nodded at her. "The illusion's gone. You're Electra again," he informed.

Electra nodded. "Yes, I am," she stated towards Brenda.

"I'm going to kill you, traitor!" her cousin yelled and charged at her.

Electra fired up her electricity but yelped when something cold shot past her shoulder and hit Brenda, freezing her in a block of ice too. She looked over to see Icicle Junior coming through the entryway.

"Dude, what are you doing?" he questioned incredulously at Superboy then looked over at her. "And who are you? I don't recognize the mask."

"A friend," she lied, hoping he wouldn't ice her.

He shrugged and glanced over at Tuppence when Conner started walking over to her. "Oh, dude," he let out, his shoulders drooping. "I'm sorry."

Conner placed his hand on the ice that held Miss Martian and wiped it across her face, seeing her fear-stricken face more clearly. His face contorted in pain as he closed his eyes and placed his forehead against the ice.

"And she was such the total babe too," Junior commented sadly as he stood next to Superboy.

Conner's face contorted in anger as he pulled back his arm. Jackie gasped and ran over to him to stop him from attempting to break the ice in fear that he'd hurt her.

"Dude, stop!" Junior yelled and grabbed his arm. "You'll shatter her! Assuming she's still alive in there at all."

"M'gann, please, don't leave me," Conner begged telepathically as he closed his eyes and clenched his fists.

"M'gann, don't go. Fight it," Jackie begged too and placed a hand on Superboy's shoulder.

After a few moments, Electra's eyes watered up as the doubtful thoughts that her friend was still alive entered her mind. She let out a choked sob and wrapped her arms around Conner, who, reluctantly, wrapped his arms around her too.

A crackling sound reached her ears, and she looked up slightly to see the ice that held 'Tuppence' cracking. Superboy pushed Jackie away and took a step forward as he stared up at M'gann with hope and a little bit of fear that she'd shatter. The ice completely broke, startling the other three as they took a step back to prevent getting hit by the icicles.

Conner knelt down beside M'gann's form, which was lying on the ground, and helped her sit up. "Are you-?"

"It's pretty cold where I come from," she explained weakly and looked up at him with half-open eyes. "I'll be al-" She gasped suddenly when Superboy closed the distance between them by locking his lips with her, kissing her.

Jackie widened her eyes as her eyebrows shot up in surprise, but she soon smiled at the sight.

"Dude, that's your sister!" Junior exclaimed, completely shocked by Conner's action.

In response, M'gann began to shape-shift back into her original form, Miss Martian, as she continued kissing Superboy with her arms wrapped around him.

"What?" Junior started in shock and pointed at them. "Wait. Is she-? Are you-?" He pointed at Jackie next. "And you-?" She nodded once at him in response, and he face-palmed as his shoulders dropped. "Oh, dad's gonna kill me."

* * *

Mount Justice, 11: 45 EST.

Jackie's legs dangled off the bed of the med-bay as she waited for her test results to come through. During the ride back to Mount Justice, she had gotten really nauseous and dizzy. At first, she thought it was because she was flying in a ship but realized it wasn't when Aqualad had to order M'gann to stop the Bio-Ship, claiming the area around him looked a lot like a jungle. The blame was immediately put on Jackie, and she was escorted to the med-bay after admitting she didn't feel so well.

Aqualad stood by her side with his arms crossed as he waited with her. She tried to start a conversation with him a few times but a huge wave of nausea overcame her each time, so she remained silent as she held her head. He looked sympathetically at her as he placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently.

"Are you alright?" he asked with concern.

She shook her head, not wanting to open her mouth in case she needed to throw up. He nodded once at her then took his hand back once Batman and Martian Manhunter entered the room, hopefully with the test results.

The Dark Knight and the Martian stood in front of the two. "Have you ever had these symptoms when flying, Electra?" the former asked.

She shook her head again in response. "I believe it has something to do with her illusions," Aqualad interjected.

"That is what I believe, too, Aqualad," Martian Manhunter agreed and walked over to be closer to Jackie. "How long has she known of her illusions?"

"Almost a week," Batman answered for Jackie.

The Martian placed his hands on the sides of her head, his fingers touching her temples. Her head lowered at the touch and her body sagged forward, but Kaldur'ahm grabbed her shoulders and firmly kept her upright. "Have you ever had experience with illusions that weren't your own, Electra?" he asked her, who nodded weakly in response. "I see. I will do what I can to help you, Electra."

A moment passed before her dizziness started to slow down, and she let out a sigh of relief as she leaned to the side, resting her head in Aqualad's side. He tensed at the contact, but she was too weak and exhausted to move. "I-." she weakly muttered but didn't continue as the nauseousness grew worse.

Manhunter took his hands away from her head, making her wish he was still relieving her from her symptoms, and turned to Batman. "Given the lack of experience with her illusions, I believe she has overworked herself on hers, which caused her to take the symptoms of what an illusion would normally do to a person," he concluded.

"It doesn't explain the test results," Batman commented then turned to Jackie. "The test results showed you were having trouble focusing, and you were also very dizzy, which is confusing as to why you were still able to create illusions with both of these symptoms. "

"Precisely, she was so unfocused and dizzy that she lost control, causing random illusions to disperse," Manhunter answered. "Her mind requires bed-rest for at least a day, maybe longer, until she is back to good health."

The Dark Knight hummed before turning to Aqualad. "Given the circumstance Electra is in, she will need to stay here until she is recovered."

"I will stay by her side," Aqualad informed.

"Since she is dispersing random illusions at unpredictable times, it would be unwise to wait inside this room where you could end up stuck in an illusion as well," Manhunter informed. "You should wait in the hall or another room."

"Then I will wait outside the room."

* * *

 **Whoa, a lot happened in this chapter. Jackie's uncle came back and found out she didn't know about her father's transfer, she had a freaky nightmare, Aqualad may have more of a reason to suspect her as the mole, her cousin is a psychopath, and she's pretty sick. Let's hope things get better for her soon.**

 **Please review! Construction criticism is welcome! :)**


	10. Chapter 10: Illusional Illness

**I've decided to answer reviews at the end of the chapter, so all of you can get right into it. Enjoy! :)**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** **I don't own Young Justice. I only own my OC's. All rights go to their respective owners.**

* * *

Mount Justice

September 17th, 02:33 EST.

This was going to be a long night. Jackie knew she was sick, but she didn't think she was _this_ sick. She tossed and turned, sweat sliding off of her forehead as her illusions used whatever strength she had left to constantly disperse themselves.

Her illusions were non-stop. They were keeping her from falling asleep. They were making her question what was real and what wasn't. Was she even in the med-bay like she was supposed to be? Or was she lying down in her bed in her bedroom back in Gotham? Was she in Mount Justice? Was she really wearing her uniform? Or was she wearing her pajamas? Was her mother actually by her bedside smiling sweetly at her? Was her father actually standing by the doorway, staring intently at her as he watched her toss and turn? What was real?!

"Don't worry, honey," her real or not real mother soothed, "it'll be alright."

The teen whimpered and closed her eyes shut, attempting to ignore all of the illusions around her. Unfortunately, it didn't work; whenever she closed her eyes, the illusions were still there; she could see them in her own mind.

"Why is this happening to me?" the teen muttered and opened her eyes, frustrated that she couldn't tell the difference between reality and her illusions at the moment. "Why can't I just fall asleep?"

"Everything's going to be okay."

The teen girl looked over to her left to see her mother now gone along with the wheelchair she was in. She groaned and clenched onto her hair. "Why is this happening?!"

"You already know why," her real or not real father replied, sneering slightly. "You're sick."

"I know I'm sick!" she spat and glared at him. "I want it to end!"

He rolled his eyes and started walking towards her bed. She clenched onto her bed sheets and scooted to the other far side of the bed to keep distance between them. "Stop complaining already," he demanded and crossed his arms over his chest. "You'll only feel worse if you do."

She seemed taken aback by his warning. He was warning her about what not to do during her illness? He didn't care! Why was he helping her? "Why do you care?" she spat.

"I don't," he replied without hesitation. "I've clearly never cared since you view me this way."

"Can you blame me?!" she argued and sat up quickly, feeling her head swarm in dizziness from the movement. "You never treated me like a daughter! All I was to you was some girl that you could train to become a monster, like you!"

He sighed. "I know."

"Then why do you look so disappointed?" she questioned as she glared.

"Because you might never view me as something else, sweetheart," he answered in a whisper. "I love you and I'm so sorry, baby girl."

That's when she knew; he was an illusion. He would never seem so solemn and apologetic. He would never care. He would _never_ love her. "Go away," she ordered as her glare intensified. "I don't want you here."

He sighed again before slowly fading away.

Once he was gone, she sighed and laid back down, letting a few tears fall onto her pillow. Why were illusions so good at manipulating people? Why did they mess with peoples heads? How did they know what to create to hurt a person?

She sniffled and wiped her sticky cheeks with her gloved hand. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

Gotham City

2: 45 am.

Jim bounced his leg against the wooden floor, feeling all the more anxious as he waited for the phone to ring to deliver more news on Jackie. She was sick, well, that was the term Batman used to describe it. The Dark Knight mentioned that the cause of her illness was her powers.

Jim knew exactly what Jackie was going through; Tony had gone through the same illness when they were kids. It was most likely her illusions that started the illness; Tony was the same. He remembered the traumatizing experience like it was yesterday.

 _Flashback:_

" _Tony?" Jim, ten years old, called out to his brother as he knocked on his bedroom door. "Are you alright?"_

 _A groan was the only response the younger brother got before the lights in the hall began flickering._

 _Cautiously, Jim turned the handle to his brother's room and slowly opened the door, expecting a yell or an electricity ball to come hurtling towards him. But none of that happened. In fact, his brother didn't even acknowledge that he opened the door. "Tony?"_

 _His older brother's eyes shot open and his head lifted as he stared at the door. "Jim? Is that you?" he questioned, his voice soft._

" _Yeah," he answered and cautiously took a few steps forward. "How are you feeling?"_

" _Like I was hit by a truck."_

" _You've never been hit by a truck."_

" _It's just an expression, Jim."_

 _The boy nodded and bit his lower lip, a habit he picked up from his mother. "What's wrong with you?"_

 _Tony groaned and rolled over on his side, hugging his blanket close to him. "I think I overworked my illusions 'cause now I can't control them and they're dispersing random ones all over the place."_

" _Is there anything I can do?"_

" _Don't come back in here for the rest of the night; you don't want a taste of what my illusions can do."_

 _The younger boy nodded again and walked back over to the door, not knowing how much of a mistake it was to leave Tony to fend for himself against his illusions._

 _End of Flashback._

The next day, he found Tony sweating non-stop and screaming at no one in particular; he even tried to beat him because he looked like one of his worst fears; whatever that was, he had no idea.

Jim sighed again as he turned his thoughts back over to Jackie. He knew what she would be going through thanks to Tony's experience. One minute she would be seeing harmless illusions left and right, then the next she would be experiencing her worst fears. However, if her illusions were being relentless through her illness, she was most likely having trouble deciphering the difference between reality and the imagination.

He groaned in frustration and sat up from laying down on his 'bed', also known as the couch. Jackie couldn't be alone if she was going through the latter. She needed someone that was real to be there to comfort her and make sure she didn't go into insanity. He could have been that person for her if he knew exactly where she was.

He threw his blanket off of him and stood up, reaching for his gray t-shirt and gun in the process. After putting the shirt on and placing the gun in the back of his pants, and after making sure the gun was secure between his back and the waistband of his pants, he walked to the kitchen, feeling the cold hard wood floor beneath his bare feet. He pulled out a glass from a nearby cabinet and filled it with water from the sink.

He brought the cup up to his lips and before he could actually swallow, he choked when someone cleared their throat from behind him. As quick as he could, he slammed the cup down onto the counter, pulled his gun out, and whirled around as he pointed the gun at the intruder. The intruder's eyes narrowed, and Jim let out a breath of relief once his mind registered who the intruder was: Batman.

Jim placed the gun on the counter before leaning back, rubbing a hand down his face. "Sorry, I didn't think I'd see you here," he commented, attempting to start a conversation in hopes to avoid any awkwardness after pointing a gun at a powerful superhero.

"How do you know that it's actually me? What if I'm an illusion your brother created to distract you?" the superhero questioned.

"My brother wouldn't have created you to distract me; he would have created Jennifer or Jackie, even my daughter Brenda, to keep me occupied."

"Don't underestimate your brother. You grew up with him, yes, but that doesn't mean that you know everything that he's capable of or what his motives could be."

Jim crossed his arms and glanced down as he let the Dark Knight's words sink in. He was underestimating his older brother, he knew that. But if a time came where he actually needed to fight his brother to protect Jackie and Jennifer, he only had his gun and his knowledge on how his brother used to fight to go on.

"Jennifer mentioned you were staying with her for a while," Batman continued, walking over to stand next to the archway of the kitchen, looking through. "Where is she?"

"Sleeping, at least, that's what she went to go do after you called."

The Dark Knight hummed before walking away from the archway and towards the fridge. "When did you arrive?"

"A few days ago," Jim responded and crossed his arms. "How's Jackie?"

"The same as she was a few hours ago."

"You sure? She hasn't worsened in the last hour?" he asked, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Considering that her powers are the cause of her illness?"

Batman glared slightly. "Judging by your tone, I take it you've had experience with this before."

"With my brother."

"And?"

"He got worse when he was alone."

The superhero hummed again. "At the moment, she isn't in control of her illusions. Because of this, she is forbidden from being around any of her team members to prevent them from getting hurt or stuck in one of her illusions."

"Tony kicked me out the first time he got sick too because he didn't want me to get hurt," Jim admitted and leaned forward, placing his palms on the counter in front of him to keep him steady. "When I went to check on him the next day, he was sweating bullets and couldn't figure out if I was a figment of his imagination or if I was his own flesh and blood."

"He had trouble deciphering what was real and what wasn't."

"Yep. I left him to his merciless illusions for the whole night, only to let his illusions make him mad."

"You believe Jackie is experiencing the same thing your brother did?"

"That would depend," Jim answered. "If she's thrashing around in bed, shooting electricity balls in random directions with no target in sight, or screaming at no one in particular, then she's having the same experience that Tony had."

"Did your brother ever heal from the experience?"

Jim frowned as his glare intensified. "Not until a few days passed."

The Dark Knight stayed silent for a moment as he stared at Jim before moving back towards the window. "I'll have someone check on her and to stay with her until further notice."

"I want a way to contact Jackie then. In case, she needs to talk to someone she's familiar with or if something goes wrong, I can talk her through it."

"I'll make sure to set up a way you can speak with her but _only_ if it's needed."

"Thank you."

Batman nodded once before jumping out the window, leaving Jim to close and lock it behind him.

* * *

2: 52 am.

Worried was an understatement; Jennifer was beyond terrified; Jackie was sick, really sick, and there wasn't anything she could do except wait. How could she lay around and wait for more news on her daughter's condition to come in?

Her head turned to the side when the sound of muffled voices reached her ears. Most likely Batman was talking with Jim, hopefully about Jackie's illness. She desperately wished they would speak louder, so she could listen in, but they kept their voices low.

She sighed and hesitantly, yet painfully, turned on her side, feeling her broken ribs protest against the action. She winced and turned back over on her back, massaging her ribs gently to ease the pain.

What if Jackie was in pain? What if her daughter needed her help to push through the pain? What if her daughter was getting worse by the minute?

Jennifer pulled the blankets up to her chest as she thought about her daughter. She was always there for Jackie when she was sick and now that she wasn't, it was torture. She couldn't comfort Jackie during her distress. She couldn't cook her her grandmother's famous chicken noodle soup. She couldn't be there for her. She was always there but now there was a time in history that she actually wasn't.

 _Flashback:_

" _Jennifer, why did you bring your daughter with you?" Lexi, her coworker and friend asked before taking a sip of her hot chocolate. "Isn't a bit risky to take her outside during the winter, especially while she's fighting a cold?"_

 _Jennifer put purple woolen gloves on Jackie's cold, pale hands, making sure her seven-month old was warm and covered so her cold didn't worsen. "Yes, I know it's risky, but I'm not leaving her alone with Tony while she's sick."_

 _Lexi frowned. "Jennifer, you're taking risks that could potentially endanger your daughter."_

" _I would never hurt my daughter."_

" _I know you wouldn't. What I meant was that because you're so afraid of leaving Jackie alone with Tony, you take her wherever you go and you know it's too dangerous for a seven-month old to be out in the cold when she's sick."_

" _I know it is, but it's also dangerous for me to leave her with her father."_

 _Lexi sighed. "You need to leave him, Jennifer. He's ruining yours and your daughter's lives."_

 _Jennifer took out a tissue and wiped Jackie's nose when she sneezed. "Believe me, I wish I could."_

" _Then do it."_

 _She shook her head. "I wouldn't be able to support Jackie and I if we left. Also, Tony would come looking and I don't think I would be able to keep us hidden for very long. I would hate to see what he would do to Jackie if he caught us running."_

" _You can stay at my place."_

" _That would be the most obvious place to go; he'd go there first."_

 _Lexi leaned back in her seat and took another sip of her hot chocolate. "There has to be a way."_

" _There will be a way," Jennifer assured and stroked her daughter's cold cheek with one finger. "Because of Jackie, I'm looking for a way and I will do whatever it takes to find it."_

 _End of Flashback._

* * *

03: 23 EST.

Jackie covered her mouth as she watched with tearful eyes her father punch her mother in the jaw, knocking her out of her wheelchair and onto the cold, hard floor. She let her tears fall and covered her ears as she turned away from the scene, reminding herself for the thousandth time that it was just an illusion.

Her eyes widened; what if it wasn't an illusion? What if this was all real? What if her father was actually there and beating her mother in front of her.

"No!" she exclaimed and shut her eyes. "It's not real!"

It wasn't real, she knew, or she thought? Oh gosh, why was she second-guessing herself?! It wasn't real!

But it looked so real. The details were there, even the shadows. Did that mean it was real?

She sobbed and clutched onto her head, tightening her hold on her hair, pulling it slightly. She heard the door to her room open and sobbed louder, fearing the worst. She felt a hand being placed on her shoulder and jumped before turning over, seeing Kaldur'ahm standing by her bedside.

"Electra, are you alright?" he asked, concern lacing his tone.

She started trembling and looked behind him to see her father stand up and begin stalking towards them. Her eyes widened and she looked back at her teammate. "Kaldur'ahm, you need to get out of here!" she exclaimed as she stood up out of bed, the whole room spinning around her, and began pushing him, rather weakly, away from her father and towards the door.

"I don't understand," he stated then grasped onto her shoulders, stopping her. "Tell me, what is wrong?"

"It's my old enemy; he'll kill you!"

He frowned and began pushing her backwards. "It's an illusion, Electra. You must rest."

She planted her feet firmly on the ground and retaliated by pushing him backwards, her feet stumbling a bit. "No! We need to get you out of here!"

Before he could respond, the door to the med-bay opened and both teenagers looked at it to see three personages, each of them with the form of her father, in the doorway.

Jackie's face was beaded with sweat as her eyes widened. "No," she muttered then looked at Kaldur'ahm to see that he was no longer the Atlantean she saw as her fellow teammate; he was her father as well. She pushed him harder than she had before, causing him to stumble backwards, and let him go as she backed away from the four of them. "No, no, no!"

"Electra," one of them called to her, his voice sounding like Batman's, and started moving towards her.

"No! Stay back!" she screamed and fired up her electricity.

He stopped and narrowed his eyes as the other Tony's widened theirs. "Electra, whoever you see me as I'm not them; it's all an illusion."

Tears ran down her cheeks as she created an electric ball. "You're trying to trick me. Well, guess what! It's not going to work!"

"J'onn, can you somehow take control of her illusions? Or calm her down?" he asked the Tony closest to him.

"I could, but I would need to enter her mind," another representation of her father replied, his voice sounding like Martian Manhunter's.

"Then enter it."

"I would be most successful if I were touching her head, physically connecting with her mind."

Tony with Batman's voice narrowed his eyes again. "Grab her."

She took a step back as all the Tony's ran towards her. Unfocused, she threw the ball, luckily causing it to hurtle towards the Tony that was closest to her. He jumped out of the way and another Tony jumped over him and threw something at her. What he threw hit the wall, lodging into it, behind her and she didn't have time to register that it was one of Robin's birdarangs before it went off, releasing some knockout gas. She coughed weakly then squeaked when a hard body collided with hers, knocking her down. She fell on her stomach and would have gotten up if her arms weren't being pinned behind her back by her father. She let out a rough gasp of pain then a frustrated sigh when another Tony sat on her legs, preventing her from moving them.

Her vision became blurry as the knockout gas began to affect her. She blinked rapidly and shook her head as she weakly tried getting up, only for it to be a useless waste of energy.

"No," she muttered and let a single tear fall as realization that her father had her kicked in. She silently prayed that the beating he was going to give her wouldn't be so effective or painful; hopefully, it would be quick.

Feeling a pair of hands being placed on the side of her temples, she slowly looked up to see a blurred version of her father. She glanced back down, not wanting to see what he would do to her or listen to what he said.

She let out a tired sigh when her dizziness slowed down and suddenly, yet strangely, felt a sense of relaxation overtake her. She slowly blinked once before letting her head fall onto the cold tiled floor beneath her. The last thing she saw before falling asleep, was Aqualad kneeling down next to her with a sympathetic look on his face.

* * *

 _Flashback:_

" _When you're going to get your capability to create illusions," her father lectured as he sat across from her at the kitchen table, "you have to be careful to not overwork them."_

" _Why?" she asked, curiosity getting the best of her. "Wouldn't it be better to just use your illusions at full power? The enemy could be taken out easier."_

 _He smirked lightly, and she rolled her eyes in annoyance, understanding that he was pleased that she was actually listening to him for once. "Now you're thinking like me."_

" _I'm only curious," she claimed then bit into an apple as she glared. "Don't get used to it."_

 _He chuckled and folded his hands on the table. "Well, overworking your illusions can lead to injuring yourself as well as anyone else around you."_

" _Wouldn't I want to injure those around me?"_

" _Only if they're not your partners." He lifted his pointer finger. "Unless, of course, you have every desire to take out your partners for the sake of a mission or achieving your own goals."_

 _She hummed and took another bite. "How would I become injured?"_

" _You would become seriously ill. Your illusions could create themselves and taunt you with whatever they conjure up. It is-" he paused, hesitating for a moment, "_ torturous _to see your illusions turn on you."_

" _You sound like you've experienced it before."_

 _He sighed. "I have, which is why I'm warning you to not overwork your illusions; you don't want to see your worst fears right in front of you."_

" _You have fears?" she questioned, tilting her head to the side and smirking slightly when he huffed. "Huh. And here I thought my dad was a courageous, yet feared, monster."_

" _Hilarious, Jackie." He folded his hands again. "I am warning you though; don't overwork your illusions."_

 _She shrugged and threw her apple behind her, it landing in the trashcan a few feet from her. "I'm not even going to worry about it since we both know that I'm not getting the ability to create illusions. I mean, I passed the age that you got yours."_

 _He smirked. "You don't get your illusions at a certain age, Jackie." He leaned forward, causing her to scoot her chair farther from the table in fear that he would electrocute her. "You get them whenever your illusions are ready to reveal themselves."_

 _End of Flashback._

* * *

5: 12 EST

The teen girl gasped and bolted upright but held her head and winced when she felt it start to throb from her movement. She closed her eyes slowly and sighed softly as she tried to ease the headache.

"Electra."

She gasped and looked over to her left to see Martian Manhunter standing by her bedside, his eyes diminishing the glow of red they once were. "Manhunter," she questioned and sighed softly again, feeling tired, "what happened?"

"I am relieved to know you see me as who I am," he commented before answering her question, "your illusions overworked themselves. You are lucky that your illusions weren't as ruthless towards you as I expected."

"Illusions?" she whispered before her eyes widened in remembrance. "My illusions! The others! Are they-?"

"Electra, please," he interrupted and placed his hands on her shoulders, pushing her back to lay on the bed, "you must rest. You are not completely healed. You're illusions are still dispersing themselves."

"But I don't see-," she began before spotting Cheshire twirling her sais on the other side of the room, "oh."

"Yes, now rest."

"Can you see what I'm seeing?" she asked weakly as her eyes slowly began closing themselves.

"No, I'm only helping you fight through it. Now please rest."

She nodded once and obliged to his request, allowing herself to fall back into a, hopefully, blissful and nonviolent slumber.

* * *

 _Flashback:_

 _It was a terrible night. Why did her father make her do this? Jackie wasn't good at fighting, like Cheshire was, so why did he think that pinning her against the assassin would be good practice?_

 _She turned off the sink after rinsing her blood off her now wounded hands and sighed as she looked in the mirror. Her long blonde hair was partially saturated with blood from her head receiving a hard blow to it as well as landing in a poor guard's pool of blood. She grimaced and attempted to straighten it, hoping to make it at least stop frizzing._

 _She gasped and whirled around when the door to the girls bathroom swung open, letting in her opponent. She narrowed her eyes and turned back to the mirror as she continued straightening out her hair. "Did my father send you to humiliate me in here as well? Or does he want you to kill me?" she asked, her tone laced with venom. "I wouldn't mind, by the way, if you chose the latter."_

 _The assassin sighed and took off her mask, revealing her face to the young teen. "If I was going to kill you now you'd be leaving your mother behind," she stated._

 _The thirteen year old glared after she finished her sentence and sharply turned around to face Cheshire. "How did you know about my mother?" she asked through clenched teeth._

" _Your father mentioned her," she replied then shrugged. "I overheard him talking about her with one of his friends."_

" _What did he say?"_

" _He said he abused her, mostly every day," she answered then crossed her arms. "I'm guessing the same goes for you."_

 _Jackie scoffed and turned back around to face the mirror. "What do you care? It's not like you've been abused before."_

 _The assassin sighed, causing the young teen to quirk up an eyebrow as she warily looked at her, who was now leaning against the sink. "I understand what it's like to be abused more than you can imagine," she admitted softly. "My sister and I both do."_

" _Your sister?" she asked warily. "What's her name?"_

 _Cheshire narrowed her eyes and straightened her posture as she walked over to Jackie, who took a slight step back. "That doesn't matter. What matters is that I know what you're going through."_

" _So what if you do?" Jackie challenged, placing her hands on her hips. "It's not like it's going to change anything."_

" _Maybe not, but you should know," Cheshire tried placing her hand on the young teen's shoulder, but Jackie shrugged it off and took another step back, "you have someone that understands."_

 _Jackie scoffed. "Like a friend?"_

" _No, just someone who understands." The assassin crossed her arms. "But if you want to think of me as a friend, that's fine."_

" _Thanks but my friends wouldn't try to make me bleed on every limb."_

" _Then we're acquaintances cautiously walking through dangerous waters."_

 _The thirteen year old teen hummed before sighing, giving up on her hair, and pulling it into a ponytail but struggled with making it look somewhat neat. "Here," the assassin offered and, before the young teen could protest, she took a hold of her ponytail and began brushing out her hair with her claw-like fingertips. Jackie huffed in annoyance, causing Cheshire to glance at her before successfully putting her hair into a semi-neat ponytail. "There. Done."_

 _Jackie sighed. "Thanks," she whispered and washed her hands again to rinse off the excess blood from her hair as well as her wounds._

" _Sure." Cheshire walked back over to the door. She grasped onto the handle but hesitated before looking back at the young teen. "It's Jackie, right?"_

" _That's me. The daughter of a monster. You gotta name or are you not going to tell me because of the whole 'assassin code' or whatever it's called?"_

" _It's Jade."_

 _The young teen widened her eyes and looked back over to the door to see it closing, meaning that the assassin, Jade, left, leaving her to wonder if that was her actual name._

 _End of Flashback._

* * *

8: 34 EST

A groan escaped Jackie's lips as she moved her head to the side, opening her eyes and squinting before they adjusted to the light. She sighed in relief that her head didn't throb anymore and attempted to sit up, only managing to put her weight on her elbows as she looked around the room then froze when her eyes landed on a familiar Atlantean sitting by her bedside.

His head rested on the bed with his arms folded underneath him. He was breathing softly as his body heaved, making her realize he was asleep. She swallowed nervously and looked around for the Martian but discovered he wasn't in the room; only Kaldur was.

She bit her lip and looked back at Kaldur as she wondered if she should wake him or not. He looked so peaceful as he slept but he looked a little uncomfortable too. If anyone from the League or the Team walked in, no doubt he would be extremely embarrassed. But maybe they would understand that he was the Team's leader and every once in a while should get some much needed rest. Not to mention, what if he woke up and caught her staring? That would be more than awkward for the both of them and she would look like a creep. She sighed; she needed to wake him up.

"Kaldur'ahm," she whispered, hoping that that would wake him up.

When he didn't show any sign that he was waking up, she sighed and slowly sat up, feeling her body weaken, then shook his shoulder gently. "Kaldur," she whispered a little louder.

She heard him sigh tiredly and took her hand back when he lifted his head off the bed. He blinked tiredly a few times before he looked at her to see her awake.

"Electra," he questioned and yawned behind his hand before continuing, "are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she answered and smiled slightly. "Why don't you go home? You need some rest."

He smiled gently, yet it seemed more tired to Jackie. "I will be fine. It is you who needs rest."

"I've been resting for a while," she protested gently before yawning, "but getting some more shut-eye doesn't sound so bad."

He nodded once. "Then lay down and get some more rest."

She smiled gently and carefully laid down, feeling her body continue to weaken. She slowly felt her eyes closing and brought up the blanket to her chest. "Goodnight, Kaldur."

He widened his eyes in surprise before returning them to their normal size and smiling wider. "Goodnight, Electra. Thank you for calling me Kaldur."

She chuckled slightly. "You're welcome," she replied and turned her head to look at him, "Kaldur."

He sighed and grinned as he laid back in his chair. "Go to sleep."

She nodded once and closed her eyes as she let herself succumb to sleep.

* * *

 **Looks like J'onn had to intervene to help Jackie get through her illness. Lucky for her, he didn't go through her memories or see any of the illusions she saw. But I bet the Team, Batman and Martian Manhunter have questions as to what she saw after she tried resisting their help and threatened to hurt them.**

* * *

 **Okay, review time. :)**

 **Thank you so much for reviewing, Luna! I appreciate you taking the time to send me some ideas. Thank you for them and letting me use them. They're really good; I might incorporate them into my story. :)**

 **Thank you for your review, Star. I already have the 'moderate guest reviews' option enabled. :)**

 **Thank you, Ta, for your review. I did know most of what you sent me already, but thanks for the reminder. :)**

 **Okay, so I could be completely wrong, but I believe there were three Guest reviewers. This is where I got confused, so if the guest reviews are all from one person, I'm very sorry. Please leave a name. :)**

 **I'm labeling the Guest reviewers as Guest (#1), Guest (#2), and Guest (#3) like last time.**

 **Thank you, Guest (#1), for your review! I do look at Young Justice Wikia to help me out 'cause I need to know when missions happened in the Young Justice universe. When you asked me where Jackie was during July and August, did you mean right before she joined the Team? 'Cause during July and August, taken place the same year the Team formed, Jackie was mainly on summer break and working at "James Cliff's Steakhouse." Towards the end of August she started her senior year at Gotham Academy. :)**

 **Thank you, Guest (#2), for your review! I appreciate you taking the time to leave me some ideas and sending me links to stories you suggested reading. I found a few of them but not all of them. The ones that I have started reading (I haven't finished them yet) are okay. My favorite so far is the Shadow Ghost one; I'm really enjoying it so far. I couldn't find that one at first until you sent me the right link so thank you. :) Also, thank you for letting me use the ideas you sent. Oh! Before I forget, Jackie does not know that Artemis is Jade's sister. Jade hasn't, and possibly won't, tell Jackie about Artemis. Her father did teach her hand-to-hand combat, markswoman, and how to throw knives; he also taught her torture techniques; he hasn't taught her any other languages. :)**

 **Thank you, Guest (#3), for your review. I already know most of what you sent me. :)**

 **Wow that was a lot of reviews! I hope I got all of them. If I didn't, let me know and I'll write down my responses right away into my next chapter, so I won't forget. :)**

* * *

 **Please review! Constructive criticism is welcome! :)**


	11. Chapter 11: On the road to recovery

**Happy Easter Everyone! I hope you enjoy! :)**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** **I don't own Young Justice. I only own my OC's.**

* * *

Mount Justice

September 19th, 08:34 EST.

"Electra?"

Jackie whined softly as her eyebrows furrowed together when someone began shaking her shoulder. She didn't want to wake up; she was having her first blissful sleep after what her illusions put her through.

"Electra, wake up," a stern voice, one she recognized as Batman's, ordered.

The teen girl sighed and turned to lay on her back before letting her eyelids flutter open. Batman stood by her bedside and took his hand off of her shoulder. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"So much better," she admitted, showing a small, tired smile, "but I would love to go back to sleep."

"Not right now. J'onn needs to check to make sure your illusional powers have stabilized."

She nodded and sat up, Batman helping her.

J'onn walked in a few minutes later and walked over to her bedside. She gave him a small smile before sighing softly when he placed his fingers on the side of her temples, starting to go through her mind, looking for any indication that her illusions would spiral out of control again.

A minute or two passed before the Martian took back his hands and turned to the Dark Knight. "Her illusions have stabilized enough for her to be able to leave the Cave," he explained, "but she is forbidden from using her illusions for, at least, a day, just to be safe."

"Good," Batman answered before turning his attention to Jackie. "You can go home now."

She sighed in relief and grinned. "I can't wait."

* * *

08:43 EST.

After collecting her things that her mother had been so generous to send with Robin to give to her, she slung her bag over her shoulder and slowly walked out of the med-bay, assuming she was meeting the Dark Knight in the hallway. To her surprise, her eyes found Kaldur waiting outside the door.

He looked over at her, his mouth gaping for a moment before closing. She arched an eyebrow in confusion. "What's wrong?" she asked, mentally wondering if her illusions turned back on without her knowledge.

"You aren't wearing your uniform," he pointed out, being rather hesitant.

She looked down at herself, now remembering she was wearing her pajamas from last night; her light blue faded t-shirt, her black ankle-length soft pants and her pair of converse that she normally wore with her uniform. She lifted a hand up to her face to make sure the mask was still there; thankfully, it was.

As an embarrassed blush made its way to her cheeks, she cleared her throat, a bit uncomfortable with wearing her pajamas in front of her leader. "Yeah, I figured I would just take a nap when I got home," she timidly answered, placing her hands in her short pockets.

He slowly nodded once before gesturing to the hallway. "May I walk you to the zeta-tubes?"

She nodded, a sheepish smile on her lips. He smiled softly and held out his arm.

She sent him a confused look and felt her mouth open slightly but then close when he explained, "Batman told me you were still disoriented."

Her mouth formed a silent 'oh' before placing one arm under his and grasped onto the top of his forearm. His arm tensed under her touch, and she licked her lips involuntarily before letting him lead her towards the main control room.

"So," he started, his eyes staring straight forward, "how are you feeling?"

She shrugged. "A little unbalanced and tired but better than I was a few days ago."

He nodded once before turning a corner, being careful to not turn too fast. "I hope you will make a full recovery soon. I wish to spar with you when you return."

"We'll definitely have to do that. I want to know if I can beat the famous Aqualad in a sparring match."

He smiled. "We'll just have to see, won't we?"

She smiled softly before looking forward, now noticing they had reached the zeta-tubes in the main control room. She reluctantly took her arm back and stepped in front of him, placing a hand on the wall to steady herself. "Thanks, Kaldur."

He sighed softly, his smile growing slightly."I am relieved to know that we are friends, Electra."

"So am I," she replied, her voice soft.

He nodded once before glancing over her shoulder, causing her to look over too and spotted Batman walking over to them.

"Electra," the Dark Knight asked, stopping beside her, "are you ready?"

"Yes, I am."

Batman nodded once before taking her bag and laying his hand on her shoulder, keeping a firm grip. "We should go then."

She nodded at him before turning her attention back to Kaldur as Batman activated the zeta-tubes. "Goodbye, Kaldur."

"Goodbye, Electra. Get some rest."

She sighed inwardly and let Batman walk her through the tube, making her wish it was Kaldur guiding her.

* * *

Gotham City

8:51 am

"Jackie!" Jim exclaimed and shot out of his chair and over to his niece.

"Hey, Uncle Jim," she greeted, smiling tiredly as Batman set her down.

"Are you alright?! Are you still seeing illusions?! What symptoms are you having?!" he frantically asked, placing a hand on her forehead then her cheek, checking for a fever.

She sighed tiredly. "I'm fine, my illusions are stable and I'm just tired."

"Then you need to lay down."

Before Jackie could say anything more, he scooped her up, holding her bridal-style, causing her to squeak in shock as she wrapped her arms around his neck to prevent herself from falling. "Uncle Jim!"

"You shouldn't be up on your feet," he defended then turned his attention to Batman, "thank you."

Batman nodded once. "Make sure she doesn't use her illusions for at least a day."

"Don't worry; I know what to do."

The Dark Knight hummed before turning to the window. Before he left, he looked over his shoulder. "Tell Jennifer I stopped by to drop Jackie off; I don't want her to believe that Jackie walked here herself."

"I'll be sure to let her know."

The superhero nodded once again before jumping out the window, closing and locking it behind him.

A few silent seconds went by until Uncle Jim walked out of the kitchen and into Jackie's bedroom, setting his niece on her bed then placed a blanket over her.

"Uncle Jim," Jackie started, her voice unusually weak.

"Sh, Little Jackie. Don't talk. Just rest."

She sighed and allowed herself to lay back, her head resting against her soft pillow, something she thought she wouldn't see for a long time.

* * *

8:59 am.

Jim reached forward and gently took off Jackie's mask to make her more comfortable and placed it on her nightstand. He then lifted the blanket off of her feet before untying her converse and taking those off. He set the shoes on the ground before placing the blanket back over her socked feet, deciding it would be best to leave her socks on in case she might get the chills sometime during the day.

He then left for a moment and hurried over to Jennifer's room, wanting to tell her Jackie was home and that he needed a spare blanket and, just in case, another pillow. He opened the door, spotting Jennifer on the other side of the room folding laundry. "Hello, Jim," she greeted and smiled, her smile seemingly tired and small, "is there something you needed?"

"Jackie's home," he informed, wanting to get to the point and not waste another minute of leaving his niece by herself, "and I need to get her a spare blanket and pillow."

Jennifer's eyes widened, her face filled with concern, worry and a bit of happiness; he was sure it was because Jackie was home. She dropped the hand towel she had been folding and rolled over to her door. "There are blankets and pillows in the closet next to the front door," she informed, rolling quickly past him and towards her daughter's room. "I'll keep an eye on her."

Jim nodded and hurried over to the closet then threw open the door and snatched up a blue blanket and a light floral-patterned pillow. He ran back to Jackie's room but halted where he was when Jennifer put a finger to her lips and pointed at Jackie, who was snoring lightly with her head turned to the left. He sighed softly and quietly walked over to her sleeping form before laying another blanket on top of her and placing the extra pillow next to her, so she wouldn't roll off the bed in her sleep. He sat down on the bed, watching as Jennifer stroked her daughter's hair softly and slowly.

"She'll be okay, Jim," Jennifer whispered, smiling at Jackie's sleeping form.

"I know," he answered, "one of us has to stay with her until she makes a full recovery."

"Well it's a good thing she has us then." She stopped stroking her hair and placed her hand on her forehead, feeling for a fever. "We'll take care of her."

He nodded once then reached over and grabbed a hold of her right hand. He took off her glove and set it down before beginning to rub circles around the back of her hand. "We'll take care of her," he repeated, his voice soft. "We'll always be there for her."

* * *

2:00 pm.

Light shone brightly through Jackie's window, lighting up her room and disturbing her sleep. She whined in protest as her eyebrows furrowed together and turned on her side, turning away from the light.

"Ah, ah, ah, Jackie," Uncle Jim's voice softly cooed, getting louder the more he got closer to her, "it's time to wake up."

She whined again and placed her soft blanket over her head. "I don't wanna," she whined.

She heard him chuckle and tightened her hold on the blanket when he sat down, her bed sinking to the side. "Come on, Little Jackie."

"Can't I sleep in for another hour?"

"That's all you've been doing." She felt him stand up, causing the mattress to rise up slowly. "It's time to get up."

She sighed and lifted the blanket off her head before opening her eyes, spotting her uncle next to her bedside.

He smiled softly down at her, his eyes giving away his exhaustion. "Good afternoon, Little Jackie."

She smiled gently, closing her eyes for a brief moment before looking back up at him. "Good afternoon, Uncle Jim. How are you?"

His smile widened and he shook his head slightly, a chuckle escaping his lips. "I should be asking you that."

She shrugged, noticing her strength had increased since that morning. "I'm better than I was this morning."

He nodded once. "Good. Can you stand?"

She nodded and sat up, faster than the day before, and turned around in her bed, letting her feet touch the floor. She pushed herself off the bed, attempting to stand, but stumbled and landed in her uncle's waiting arms. She lifted her head up to meet his eyes. "Still a little clumsy, I guess."

He smiled sympathetically. "Why don't we try walking?"

She sighed, dreading trying since the walk from the med-bay in Mount Justice to the zeta-tubes a few hours ago had worn her out. "Okay," she breathed out, "let's do it."

* * *

2: 07 pm.

He grabbed and held onto her forearms firmly then took a step back, watching her feet to make sure she could walk without assistance. Luckily for both of them, she didn't stumble as bad as he thought she would on the first step. In fact, she was controlling her movements more easily. The more steps she took, the more control she had. She was getting better. It had been a really slow process, but she was progressing.

It was odd though. Tony didn't take as long to heal as Jackie did his first time he overworked his illusions. Why was she having such a hard time with it? Why was she so ill? Was it because she kept up an illusion for over two days from her last mission instead of an hour or two? Hopefully, now that he was here he could learn more about Jackie's powers to figure out the differences and similarities between hers and her father's.

"Easy," he cautioned when she began going too fast, "you need to pace yourself."

"I just want to be able to do this on my own again."

"Going too fast and hurting yourself won't make that happen any quicker."

She sighed and took another step, slower this time. "I want to go see my teammates."

"I'm sure you do; you were isolated from them for a while."

"I know," she replied, recalling that her teammates were ordered to stay out of the med-bay until she made a full recovery or was sent home; Manhunter and Batman were the only ones allowed to see her with the exception of Kaldur being the Team's leader. "I just wish I had a way of contacting them."

"You will be able to see them soon, Jackie."

"How do you know that?" she questioned, letting Jim turn her around so her back was facing him. "I can't even walk without needing help."

"Your illusions haven't bothered you at all for the past two days," he answered as he placed his hands on her shoulders, his grip firm. "That means that you're getting better."

She sighed and took a step forward, Jim following her movement. "When do you think I will be able to see them?"

He hummed. "Probably in a few days, maybe less."

She smiled. "I can't wait."

* * *

Gotham City

September 21st, 7:35 am.

"Finally," Jackie muttered to herself as she finished putting on her school uniform and putting her hair up in a high pony tail, "now I'm ready."

Today was the day she was returning to school and, hopefully, the Cave to see her teammates. Uncle Jim had declared yesterday that she was growing stronger with each passing day, and she proved to him she was well enough to go to school when she went on a walk with him to test out how long she could walk for; her legs were burning in pain at the amount of strain she put on them after walking for a few hours, but she was able to persuade him into letting her attend school. Of course, he made her swear she would go to the nurse to lye down during her PE hour and whenever she was getting tired of walking.

She picked up her bag by her bedroom door and walked through the open door, smelling eggs on her way to the kitchen. "Good morning, Uncle Jim," she greeted as she walked through the archway and spotting her uncle by the stove cooking.

He turned to her, his eyes tired as he smiled. "Good morning, Little Jackie. Hungry?" he asked.

"Starving," she replied and sat down, setting her bag on the ground next to her. "Omelets?"

"Yep," he answered as he flipped an omelet onto a nearby plate, "as well as milk and some toast."

"Sounds delicious," Jennifer commented, now coming into the kitchen, "but we need to add some chocolate powder to the milk."

"Not today," Jim replied and brought over a plate with a stacking of three omelets. "Jackie needs regular milk to keep her strength up."

Jackie rolled her eyes slightly at her uncle's overprotectiveness as he walked over to the toaster, his back to her. "But I also need my sugar to keep myself awake during English class."

"How would sugar keep you up during English class?" Jim questioned, taking the toast out of the toaster. "If anything, it'll cause you to crash during class."

"Not if I keep myself on a sugar rush until PE."

Jim chuckled and set down a plate full of sliced toasted bread on the table next to the butter then headed to the fridge and took out a milk carton. "You won't focus in any of your classes if you do that."

She shrugged and watched Jim pour her a glass of milk. "It's not like I'll pay attention during them without the sugar anyway."

Slowly, a smirk made it's way to his lips before he pushed Jackie's head to the side gently, making her smile at his reaction to her sarcastic comment. "You _are_ going to pay attention at school today, and you're _not_ getting any sugar."

She sighed. "Fine," she replied, exaggerating the word, "but you're buying me a chocolate bar after school."

An amused eyebrow rose as he poured himself a glass. "Only if you let me drive you to school and pick you up."

She rolled her eyes playfully as she sighed, causing her mother to smile in amusement behind her glass of milk. "If letting my overprotective uncle drive me to school, which might cause absolute embarrassment for me if my schoolmates see me, get me chocolate, then fine; I'll let you drive me."

Jim grinned and sat down. "Don't worry; I'll be cool when I drive you."

She smirked. "If by 'cool' you mean wearing a pair of sunglasses and going over-the-top on rocking out to nineties music, you better make sure to keep the windows up."

He chuckled and pointed his fork at her food. "Eat, Little Jackie, or I'll sing terribly when I drop you off."

She smiled and picked up her fork, beginning to eat.

* * *

7:48 am.

Jackie slammed her car door, looking through the window to see her uncle wearing his black shades as he sang the lyrics to his favorite song, "Jim's girl," a song that he wrote with a band he put together fifteen years ago. He lowered his sunglasses slightly so they rested lower on his nose as he eyed her. He smirked playfully and winked at her, causing her to smirk back as she crossed her arms. He reached over to her radio and turned up the volume, causing loud thumps to erupt from the car.

She scoffed and pounded on the window. "You do realize that's rude, right?" she yelled to him, wondering if he could hear her.

He smirked wider before pushing his sunglasses back over his eyes. He mouthed something to her, causing her to send him a confused look. He laughed and reached over and opened the car door in front of her, causing the music to increase in volume as the beats and lyrics became more clear.

She reached over to the radio and turned it down before glaring playfully at him. "It's rude to others when you play your music so loud while driving," she repeated.

"Is it?" he questioned, glaring playfully back. "I don't see anyone bothered by it."

"I'm bothered by it," she retorted, leaning more into the car. "You would be too if someone around you did the same thing."

He chuckled. "I wonder who taught you that."

She hummed. "I think it was you, but I don't know now since you like to blast your music to annoy other drivers."

"Oh I'm not trying to annoy other drivers; I'm trying to annoy you, Little Jackie."

She scoffed and smirked as she leaned back, standing closer to the car door. "Goodbye, Uncle Jim."

"Goodbye, Little Jackie. Don't cause trouble."

"Oh don't worry; I won't make the same stupid mistakes you made in high school."

He chuckled again, shaking his head slightly. "You're never going to let it go that I told you what I did in high school, are you?"

"Nope," she replied, smiling. "Not in a million years."

"You going to black mail me?"

She shrugged. "Only if I want to get ice cream after school."

He smiled. "After school today?"

"It's a date."

He nodded once. "Can't wait."

"Now goodbye."

"Goodbye."

The teen girl took a step back and closed the car door then waved when he honked at her as he drove away. She smiled and turned around, sighing as she realized she would have a lot of work to catch up on in each of her classes. "Time for work," she muttered to herself and walked towards the doors of Gotham Academy.

* * *

11:30 am.

Jackie sat at her usual table, waiting for Dick and Barbara. How would she explain herself for her long absence? She was sick, yes, but what kind of illness? She couldn't tell them it was her illusions that caused her illness; that could jeopardize her identity as a hero-in-training.

"Jackie!"

Said-teen whipped her head around, barely catching a familiar boy as he wrapped his arms around her. "Dick!" she exclaimed in surprise and in a little embarrassment as the other students stared at the two of them. "People are staring."

He chuckled and released her, standing up straight with his backpack over his shoulder. "Sorry, Jackie; you've just been gone so long."

"Yeah, what happened?" Barbara, who just walked up to them, asked.

The two freshman sat down across from her at the table. "It's a long story," Jackie started, "I got really sick."

"What kind of 'sick'?" Barbara asked and pulled out her homemade lunch from her bag.

"Some sort of virus," Jackie lied, pulling out a sandwich from her bag, "the doctors didn't even know what kind of virus it was."

Barbara furrowed her eyebrows together in confusion. "But the doctors would have at least pinpointed it down to whatever symptoms you were having; surely, they had some sort of diagnosis."

Jackie took a bite of her sandwich then swallowed before replying, "Well, they did believe it was related to pneumonia and gave me medication to treat it, but they were still puzzled by it."

"But wouldn't they have-"

"Barbara, it was probably that flu that's been going around," Dick interrupted, "you know, the one that causes a kid to stay sick in bed for weeks? Jackie was lucky it didn't hit her as hard since she's here now."

"Yes," Jackie agreed, smiling small.

Barbara shrugged. "I guess so."

"Good. Now that that's settled," Dick continued, looking at Jackie, "let's catch you up on everything that's happened so far."

* * *

4:34 pm.

"Mom, we're home!" Jackie announced, walking into the living room with her uncle right behind her.

"We brought ice cream!" Jim announced and closed the front door, locking it next.

"Why'd you buy ice cream?" Jennifer questioned, now rolling into the room and over to her daughter and brother-in-law.

"I blackmailed him," the teen stated, smirking as she put a spoonful of cookie dough ice cream in her mouth.

Jim rolled his eyes. "I did it to be nice."

Jennifer hummed and took her pint of ice cream from Jim. "I see. Do you have homework?" she asked.

The teen sighed. "Three days worth, plus today's homework."

"You better get started then."

"I should, but I was kind of hoping I could go to the Cave."

Her mother hummed. "If you finish today's homework then you can go, but only for a short while."

Jackie grinned and hurried over to her bedroom. "I'll get started right away!"

* * *

Mount Justice

06:21 EST

"Recognized: Electra: B-0-8," the computer announced as said-teen walked through the zeta-tubes.

She smiled, relieved she was back. It might have only been a few days since she's been gone, but it felt like a lifetime.

"Electra!" Robin's voice echoed in the Cave.

Electra looked forward, fully expecting just the Boy Wonder to be in her sights but, to her surprise, the whole Team was standing in the center of the room, including Black Canary. It looked like they were in the middle of something, most likely training considering Canary had just pinned Wally down with her foot. She smiled sheepishly; she was late for this training session and she interrupted it; it couldn't get any worse than that, right?

"Electra," Canary called, stepping off of Wally and helping him up, "welcome back."

"Thanks," she sheepishly replied and started making her way over to the others, "I hope I didn't miss much."

"Not enough to stress about." Canary placed her hands on her hips. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better."

"Well enough to practice?"

Jackie licked her lips nervously. "Uh yeah. I'm a bit out of practice though; I've been resting for a while."

"Which is exactly why it's time to start training again."

Electra nodded reluctantly; she didn't really want to go up against Canary, especially after she just got back. She could make a fool of herself. "Okay," she agreed, albeit reluctantly.

"I'd rather have you practice with someone other than myself for team bonding and for expecting the unexpected, so to speak," Canary continued then turned to the Team's leader, "Kaldur, why don't you and Electra give it a go."

Jackie let out a shaky breath, but she wasn't sure if it was in nervousness or relief; Kaldur would be gentle with her, but she was afraid of that; she could still humiliate herself with how weak she was.

"Of course," Kaldur agreed and placed a gentle hand on Electra's shoulder as he smiled at her. She smiled softly back and let him lead her to the center of the room.

"Don't worry," he whispered to her, "I will not hurt you."

She nodded once and took her stance as he took his. She didn't know what to expect from him; she's only seen him fight once, but it still put her on edge that he could be capable of so much more.

She waited for him to make the first move, and, thankfully, he got the message. He ran at her and aimed to punch. She ducked, avoiding the swing of his punch and kicked him from under his feet, causing him to fall and land on his back. Quickly, she climbed on top of him and pinned his wrists with her knees, next to his sides.

She crossed her arms and smiled, happy that she won, the session was over now and that she didn't make a fool of herself. The Atlantean smiled back at her before smirking. She dropped her smile as she leaned back a bit, uncomfortable. "Kaldur?" she questioned warily.

She squeaked when he bounced his hips, causing her to stagger to the right, releasing his wrists. He gripped her right arm and brought it closer to his chest, holding it tight, then gripped her bicep, pulling her closer to him. She used her free arm to try to release his grip on her, but he wouldn't let go. He hooked his legs around her right leg and bucked his hips again, harder than last time, and flipped them both over, reversing their positions.

She gasped and felt her face heat up when he locked her wrists above her head, causing him to lean in closer to her to keep her pinned. She swallowed involuntarily and struggled to think of a way out of Kaldur's hold because of how close in proximity their faces were. "Kaldur," she whispered, not daring to move her face in fear their noses would touch.

His eyes softened and he lowered himself ever so slightly, causing Jackie's heart to pound rapidly in her chest. What was he doing? Was he going to kiss her? No he was the leader; he was probably going to do something else to keep her pinned, right?

Oh my gosh! His lips were getting more closer to hers! What was she supposed to do?! Should she stop this? Should she let him do it? Should she lift her head to close the gap between them? She licked her lips and closed her eyes, waiting to know if he would actually kiss her or tighten his hold on her.

Her eyes snapped open in surprise, however, when she heard someone snicker. Kaldur seemed surprised too because he widened his eyes and glanced over his shoulder. She leaned as far as she could to the left to see Robin with his hands over his mouth and the other members of the Team staring in shock. She gulped as she looked at Black Canary, who looked almost amused.

Kaldur looked back down at her before lifting himself off of her and outstretched his hand towards her. Jackie sat up and grabbed his hand, letting him help her stand back up.

"Well," Canary mused, walking back over to the center of the room as Kaldur and Jackie walked off to stand next to their teammates, "excellent work, you two. Next time, though, don't get distracted."

Jackie felt her face heat up in a hot blush, and she looked over at Kaldur to see him doing the same. Robin snickered as he smirked, causing her to smack him upside the head and blush even more.

"Now," Canary continued, "who wants to go next?"

* * *

08: 32 EST

"You've been through a lot, Electra," Canary began as she crossed her legs, "and I'm concerned."

Jackie tapped her foot nervously as she sat across from her therapist. She knew Canary would have thought that what she went through traumatized her, and, in a way, it did.

It was the reason why she was here sitting across from Canary in the Waterfall room. The superhero told her they needed to talk about it; to help her understand that her illusions were just illusions; whatever they caused her to go through wasn't real. But they felt real; all of them felt real, especially when they physically hurt her.

The teen wrapped her arms around her self and crossed her legs. "I understand," she softly replied, looking down.

"Would you like to talk about it?"

She nodded slowly; it would be for the best. "Yeah, I should."

"Then start from the beginning."

She sighed deeply. "Well, after getting settled in the med-bay a few days ago, my illusions began to take control. They showed me the people I cared about and," she started as she hugged herself, "my worst fear."

"Did your fear cause you to attack Batman, J'onn, Robin and Aqualad?"

"Yes. I-I thought they were going to hurt me."

Canary nodded. "How would they have 'hurt' you?"

She shifted uncomfortably. "That's a sensitive topic."

"I know." She leaned forward, uncrossing her legs. "But I believe if you talk about it, you'll learn to not be so afraid of it; you'll _move on_."

"'Move on'," Electra whispered, "that is something I struggle with."

"I can help you, but if you want me to help you, you need to open up to me. You don't have to tell me your whole back story; just start by sharing something small that's bothering you then work your way up as our meetings continue."

The teen nodded slowly. "Okay," she agreed, rather hesitantly, "I'll try it."

* * *

Gotham City

10: 06 pm.

"Recognized: Electra: B-0-8," the computer announced as Jackie opened the door to the phone booth. She stepped out and took off her mask then her gloves and stuffed them in her pocket before zipping up her jacket. She sighed tiredly and glanced up, wondering if she should just fly to her apartment instead of take the long walk back. She shook her head, deciding against it; she didn't want to risk being seen and injuring herself further. She began walking, feeling her legs burn in protest.

"That was a long therapy session," she muttered as the harsh cold winds blew her hair behind her. She didn't realize what kind of effect such small things had on her; lousy drivers, snobbish girls, loud noises, and insects bothered her so much that it caused her to ignore and react negatively to them at all costs. Sure, these things were annoying, but as Canary said, these things weren't always what they seemed; the lousy drivers could have been in a rush to get to a friend in desperate need, an ill family member or the hospital; snobbish girls could really be wearing a mask to cover up their insecurities and true self; the loud noises were needed to alert others of an oncoming police car, fire truck, or ambulance that was rushed to get to a crime scene; some insects were just disgusting but others were used for the importance of growing food; these things shouldn't have such a negative impact on her.

She trudged up the apartment steps, holding onto the railing to help pull herself up each one. At least the session was over and she was finally back home. Spending time with her teammates was great to do again, even though it had it's embarrassing moments, like her and Kaldur almost kissing, if that was his intention.

She stopped on the top step when his name entered her mind; Kaldur. They almost kissed. Her first kiss would have been with her team leader. Just the thought brought the hot blush back to her cheeks. He would have been her first kiss. Would she have been his too? Probably not; he was a hero after all; he could get any girl he wanted.

She frowned at that and continued walking, heading for her apartment door. He probably wanted another Atlantean; definitely not a human girl that couldn't live underwater.

She knocked on her front door three times, after remembering she forgot her key, and took a step back as she listened for her uncle's footsteps or her mother's wheelchair coming towards the door. The sound of footsteps echoed as they got closer, making her smile that her uncle would be answering the door; her mother told her that as soon as he started staying with the two of them and found her in a wheel chair, he's been doing everything for her, making life a whole lot easier for them.

The door opened, and Jackie looked up, fully expecting to see her uncle's welcoming grin but instead was met with distrusting eyes and a hardened face. She furrowed her eyebrows together in confusion; did she do something he didn't approve of? "Uncle Jim," she questioned, "is something wrong?"

"Come in and see for yourself," he answered and opened the door wider.

She cautiously walked in, never once taking her eyes off her uncle's cold gaze. "What did I do?" she asked carefully and softly. "I wasn't gone that long."

"It's not you," he answered, his eyes softening as he stared at her, "it's never you, Little Jackie."

"Is it my mom?"

He shook his head. "No, it's her new friend."

"Her new friend?"

He nodded then looked past her. She followed his gaze when she heard her mother's laughter coming from the kitchen. Her first thoughts were was that it was the Dark Knight but when her mother came rolling into the living room with another man assisting her, those thoughts flew over her head.

"Oh, Jackie," her mother greeted and smiled, "you're home. How was the movie you saw with your friends?"

"Oh it was great," the teen answered hesitantly, understanding her mom was only covering up that she was really with the Team. She hugged her mom when she rolled over to her before straightening up as she glanced at their blonde guest. "Who is this?"

"Oh, Jackie, this is Kyle," Jennifer introduced, smiling at him, "the one I was telling you about."

Jackie raised her eyebrows in surprise at the man. So this was Kyle.

* * *

 **Well, looks like Jackie's on the road to recovery, her and Kaldur almost kissed and the mysterious Kyle is finally revealed.**

 **Please feel free to leave a review. Constructive criticism is welcome. :)**


	12. Chapter 12: Homefront

**Disclaimer:** **I don't own Young Justice. I only own my OC's. All rights go to their respective owners.**

* * *

Gotham City

September 21st, 10:30 PM.

Kyle Harrison. Wow. No wonder her mother was nervous before she left to go on a date with him the night of the accident; he was good-looking, _really_ good-looking. He was tall, which was completely unexpected to her, and well-built for a surgeon. Not to mention, with those gorgeous dark blue eyes and that golden blonde hair, he could make any girl swoon; if he had the right personality to fit the looks, that is, which was what the teen was currently trying to figure out.

He seemed to himself more than he did outgoing. Sure, he was the one that started conversation and was apparently caught up on the latest news, but he was unusually more quiet than talkative. He was also kind and polite, but it didn't seem normal for him; it seemed, well, _fake_.

It could be because he was nervous though. After all, he was meeting his date's daughter and brother-in-law on the same night he came by to drop off flowers and dessert. Who wouldn't be nervous?

"Jackie?"

"Hmm?" Jackie glanced over from staring at Kyle, looking straight at her mother. "Yes, Mom?"

"Are you alright? You seem awfully quiet," Jennifer pointed out, folding her napkin on her lap before picking up her fork.

The teen glanced over at Jim, who was still silently and secretly glaring at Kyle whenever he looked away. "Yeah, Mom," she answered, uncomfortable with the current situation she was in, "I've just had a long day, that's all."

Her mother nodded before glancing at Jim and once she saw his glare directed at her date, she kicked him in the shin, causing him to wince and give her a short glare. "We can talk about it later, sweetie," she assured as she smiled at her daughter before turning her attention to Kyle. "So, Kyle, how's the hospital? My patients?"

"They miss you terribly," Kyle, his voice so smooth yet soft, answered as he smiled at her, "you should hear how they always ask Katelyn about you."

"Katelyn?" Jim questioned. "Another coworker, I assume?"

"Yes, she's my friend," Jennifer answered, glaring slightly at Jim.

Jim huffed before taking a sip from his cold coke.

Jackie bit her lip nervously, feeling the awkward tension in the room. Oh how she wished she had snuck in the window instead of climbing up those stupid apartment steps; she could have avoided this if she did!

"Jackie," her mother questioned, again bringing her back to reality, "are you feeling sick, honey?"

"Sick?" Kyle questioned, glancing at the teen. "What kind of sick? Flu? Allergies? Cold?"

"It's the flu," Jackie answered before her mother could, "but I'm not contagious anymore."

"I would sure hope not. That flu that's been going around has really been taking its toll on people. Just last week, an older man, probably in his sixties, had to be hospitalized once the flu began making it difficult for his lungs to take in any oxygen."

"Ouch," the teen muttered before taking a sip of her hot chocolate.

"Is he alright?" Jennifer asked, resting a hand on Kyle's arm, whom took notice and moved so his hand was holding hers.

"Yes, he is."

Her mother smiled, blushing as she looked away.

"So, Kyle," Jim started, leaning forward as he folded his hands on the table, "where are you from?"

"Gotham, actually. I've lived here my whole life," Kyle answered then took a drink of his hot chocolate.

"I thought you said you went to Central City to attend college there."

"I did, but I moved back here after my father passed away to keep watch over my mother."

Jim hummed. "Has your mother lived here her whole life?"

"No, she moved here when she was eighteen."

"Eighteen? So that would make her how old?"

"Jim!" Jennifer exclaimed, glaring slightly.

"No, no, it's okay," Kyle assured her then turned to Jim, "she would be ninety-four this year if she were still alive today."

Jackie swallowed involuntarily, anxious to leave, but she had questions too. How come he never visited her mom after the car accident? How come he hardly called her mother? Why didn't he send flowers more often? Why didn't he send a get-well card? After weeks of not hearing from him, why did he all the sudden show up out of the blue?

"Jackie," Jennifer asked, "is there something on your mind?"

"I-I was just wondering," the teen started and glanced at Kyle, "what happened to you the night my mom was in a car accident?"

Kyle's eyebrows shot up in surprise, Jennifer choked on her hot chocolate, and Jim smirked as he watched Kyle squirm in his seat.

"Yeah, where were you during that time?" her uncle questioned.

"W-Well, I didn't know about Jennifer's accident until work the next day, so I sent her some flowers."

"Did you visit her?" Jackie continued questioning. "I mean, for a guy who works at the same hospital my mom was hospitalized in, surely you had an opportunity to go see her."

"Jackie!" her mother scolded, her tone stern.

"I'm just curious, Mom."

"It's okay, Jennifer," Kyle assured then looked over at the teen. "Yes, I was working at the same hospital your mother was staying in, but that week was chaotic; a lot of people were seriously injured and I had to perform surgery every few hours."

"And when you weren't performing surgery? Where were you?"

"Checking on my patients, of course."

"What about when you were on break?"

"I hardly had any breaks. Like I said, there were a lot of sick and wounded people I had to take care of."

"What about when you were off the clock? When your shift was over?"

"Well-"

"He probably went home, Jackie," Jennifer interrupted, narrowing her eyes at her daughter, "wasn't there something you wanted to show your uncle?"

She knew her mom wanted her to leave and take Jim with her, and, as much as she didn't want to, she obeyed and stood up. "Come on, Uncle Jim."

"You can show me later-Hey!" Jim started to protest until the teen grabbed him by his shirt collar and pull him out of his chair. He didn't fight her, which was a relief since she doubted she could actually _drag_ him out of the room.

She walked into her room and let him go before closing her bedroom door.

"What was that?!" her uncle exclaimed, crossing his arms.

"Mom wanted to be alone with Kyle," Jackie replied simply as she shrugged and walked over to her bed to sit down.

"Well, _I_ didn't want to be taken out of the room, yet you dragged me out of there."

"You know as well as I do that you could've stayed; you could've pushed me off of you," she argued as she began taking off her converse and set them down on the floor.

He scoffed. "Well, I'm not staying. Your mother needs someone to be with her."

"Let her have this." She stood and walked over to her closet to pull out some pajamas. "You know she shut other guys out in the past because of what my father-that monster-did to us."

He sighed and uncrossed his arms. "I know but that's what I'm worried about; I'm worried that she'll meet another Tony and not see it until it's too late."

She smiled softly, understanding that he wanted to protect her mom, and threw a random t-shirt and shorts on the bed before walking over to him. "I know, and I worry about that too, but you know she wouldn't date anyone unless she believed they weren't like him."

He raised a skeptical eyebrow. "So you trust the guy?"

"I trust that my mom can make the right choices with who she wants to date."

"But you don't trust him?"

She sighed, annoyed. "No, I don't trust him, Uncle Jim. Not yet."

He nodded before reaching over and pulling her into his arms, hugging her gently. "I'm still going to watch over her even though she doesn't want me to."

She sighed and nodded once before reluctantly letting go and gesturing the door. "Well, I'm going to change then head to bed, so you might want to leave."

"What? You don't want me to stay with you until you fall asleep to make sure you don't have any nightmares?" He teased, smirking slightly and making her roll her eyes.

"I'm not a little girl anymore, Uncle Jim."

He chuckled softly. "You're right; you're not. But to me, you'll always be my little girl."

She shook her head, the corners of her lips going up. "Goodnight, Uncle Jim."

"Goodnight, little Jackie."

* * *

September 22nd, 8: 15 am.

"I'm late, I'm late, I'm late," Jackie thought as she scrambled out of her car and over to the school. She was supposed to be meeting Dick and Barbara before class started to discuss their P.E. project but, of course, her alarm didn't go off that morning, so she ran ten minutes late.

She rushed passed other students, dodging most of them that were in her way but accidently ran into a few. "Sorry!" she yelled out and continued rushing, hoping to get to her two friends before the bell rang.

"Almost there," she thought, panting and spotting the two close to the front doors.

Before she made it over to them, she rammed into someone, causing both of them to fall forward and her to land on top of them. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry," she began apologizing immediately as she pried herself off of the other student. "I didn't see you there!"

The other student frowned as she looked up at her from where she sat before fixing her ponytail and watching as Jackie stood up. "It's fine. I feel embarrassed enough already from these school uniforms," she replied.

Jackie winced and held out her hand to the other girl. "Yeah. I understand. These uniforms aren't the most comfortable clothes to wear."

The girl took her hand and let her help her stand. "Thanks."

"Sure."

"Do you know where I can find the office?"

"You don't know where the office is?"

The girl narrowed her eyes slightly, causing Jackie to widen hers; it was an innocent question, wasn't it?

"It's my first day," the student informed, crossing her arms.

"Oh! Well then you need a liaison. You should be assigned one already though."

"Where do I find them then?"

"They should come to you; I can take you to the office though-"

"Artemis?"

Artemis? Artemis was here? Jackie turned in a circle, searching for said-hero, but she didn't see her. Her eyes landed on a fellow classmate of hers, Bette, she believed her name was. She couldn't be Artemis.

Bette walked over to the two teenagers and faced the new student. "I'm Bette; your new student liaison. Welcome to Gotham Academy," she welcomed, confusing Jackie even more.

"Thanks. Um, I'm Artemis," she introduced nervously, making Jackie widen her eyes at her, and she sheepishly smiled, "but you knew that."

This was Artemis? She went to Gotham Academy with her? No, there's no way this was Artemis. Artemis was the protégé of Green Arrow, who lived in Star City. Also, no superhero would make their first name their superhero name, right? It was probably just a coincidence.

When she was right in the middle of thinking, she gasped when an arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to a warm body. She was about to push away from whoever held her but then she registered that it was Dick. She sent him a confused look, but he only winked and reached over to touch Artemis' back to get her to turn to him. When she was fully facing the two of them and scrunching her eyebrows in confusion, he pulled out his phone and rose it in the air. "We'll laugh about this someday," he answered briefly, the only warning he gave them before taking a picture.

Jackie and Artemis both squinted at the flash of light from his phone before opening their eyes and looking for the mischievous boy, who had disappeared after the photo was taken. Why did he do that? Did he know Artemis?

"Uh, who was that?" Artemis asked, answering Jackie's question of whether or not she knew him.

"A Freshman. Ignore him," Bette answered and began leading Artemis away from Jackie, whom was seemingly forgotten.

She bit her lip and looked around her to find the boy again, but she didn't see him.

"Jackie!"

Said-teen turned around and her eyes landed on Barbara motioning her over. She smiled; if Barbara was close, so was Dick, which meant she could question the boy on what his motives were. She walked over to her and waved. "Hey, Barbara. Have you seen Dick?"

The Freshman looked over her shoulder to see said-boy come out from hiding behind the boy. "Dick," she questioned, her eyes narrowing a bit, "what was that about?"

"Nothing, Barbara," Dick answered, chuckling a bit, "just being friendly to the new girl."

"Taking a picture of the new girl without her permission wasn't being 'friendly'; it was creepy," Jackie argued and crossed her arms, "you're lucky we're friends, Dick. I would have never let you do that if we weren't."

He smirked. "You wouldn't have been able to stop me, Jackie. Besides, I told you; we'll laugh about it someday."

She hummed. "So does that mean you know Artemis?"

He shrugged. "I'm going to."

She shook her head. "You can be so weird sometimes."

He grinned. "Yeah, but you like me anyway."

She giggled, smiling. "You're not wrong about that. Why don't we start talking about our P.E. project?"

Barbara and Dick both nodded before following Jackie into the school, the boy looking at the picture of his two friends on his phone.

* * *

8:32 pm.

"Finally," Jackie muttered as she closed her laptop after finishing her essay for English, "now I can leave."

Quickly, she began donning her superhero uniform, wanting to go to the Cave as soon as she could. She would have gone right when she got home, but she then remembered she had an essay on Shakespeare and a math packet she had to complete by that night for school tomorrow. After slipping into her uniform, she yelled out as she walked to her window, "Mom! Uncle Jim! I'm heading out!"

"Bye, honey!" her mom yelled back. "Love you!"

"Stay safe, little Jackie!" her uncle yelled back.

"Love you too, and I will!"

She jumped out, flying to make herself go at rapid speeds to make it to the Cave sooner than later. She sighed as the wind blew towards her, causing her hair to blow behind her.

Once she reached the telephone booth, she stopped abruptly in mid-air when she spotted a familiar teen girl archer. "Artemis? What's she doing in Gotham?" she questioned in her mind.

She then began levitating downwards, wanting to know the reason why her fellow teammate was in Gotham City. "Artemis?" she called out and landed next to her, accidentally startling her.

"Electra, what are you doing in Gotham?" the Archer asked, widening her eyes then crossing her arms.

"I live here. What are you doing here?"

"Um," she started but gasped, stopping herself, when the Boy Wonder landed next to Electra. Jackie yelped in surprise and stumbled back but glared when he smirked at her in amusement.

"Artemis!" he yelled, feigning surprise, which sounded weird to Jackie, as he turned his attention to said-archer.

"Robin!" Artemis yelled out, sounding more surprised than him.

"How random of you to be in Gotham City," he mused, "shouldn't you be in Star City where your _uncle_ _Green_ _Arrow lives_?"

Jackie scrunched her eyebrows in confusion at the Boy Wonder; the way he said that almost made it sound like he knew something that she didn't about Artemis, but what?

"I'm, uh, here to see my cousin!" She scratched the back of her head and averted her eyes to the left before turning her attention back to him. "She was in the state spelling bee, here, in Gotham City."

"C-O-O-L," he spelled out, causing Jackie to smile a little in amusement, "did she W-I-N?"

"N-O," she replied, sounding annoyed as she crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes.

"D-R-A-G."

"Yeah, let's just go to the Cave."

"O-K-A-Y," Jackie spelled out, smirking at Robin as he smirked in her direction while Artemis just glared.

"Ladies first," Robin offered, bowing slightly as he gestured to the phone booth.

"Your town, you go," Artemis insisted.

He looked at Jackie and smirked as he gestured to the booth again. "Madam?"

She grinned and rolled her eyes playfully as she walked past him and opened the phone booth. "Why thank you, Robin."

He nodded once, and Jackie closed the phone booth door then activated the Zeta Tube. "Recognized: Electra: B-0-8," the computer announced before teleporting her to the Cave.

Once the light died down, she started walking into the Main Control Room but stopped as soon as she noticed that a huge fire had spread throughout the entire room, smoke erupting from it and clouding some of her vision. "What in the world?" she muttered then gasped when a fireball hurled towards her. She flew up, barely dodging the hurtling flame, and panted out as the heat of the room began to affect her.

She wiped her brow with her hand, feeling sweat form before hearing the Zeta Tube activate, causing a bright light to engulf the tube. When the sound of something bursting and being thrown reached her ears, she looked to her left, noticing another fireball flying through the air as it aimed for the tube. "Robin!" she yelled, her eyes wide and filled with worry as she flew towards the Boy Wonder, who stepped into the room.

His eyes widened when he caught sight of the ball then grunted when Electra rammed into him, pushing him out of the way as she put herself in his position. She let out an involuntary cry of pain as the ball hit her in the stomach, thrusting her back. She yelped as she collided against the wall behind her then grunted as she slid down, feeling a bit woozy when her sight darkened and blurred a bit.

"Electra!" Robin exclaimed, worry evident in his tone.

She didn't respond; she couldn't. The room and flames started spinning, and she clutched her stomach but cried out when it burned to the touch. Her breathing accelerated as air rapidly left then desperately tried to reenter her lungs. Her heart rate pounded against her ribcage as if it was calling out for help. A burning sensation erupted itself from her stomach, making her cry out in pain again before glancing down, noting that the lower half of her shirt disintegrated from the flames and her wound bled as the flesh was splotchy and turned red; this could be a third degree burn. She groaned in pain and fell on her side, feeling too dizzy to even sit up.

Her hearing barely caught the computer announcing another arrival, most likely Artemis, and blinked as she attempted to lift her head up to warn her. When she caught sight of her, she opened her mouth but only a squeak came out. She tried again, this time succeeding. "Artemis," she whispered, trying to call out to her but knew her voice was too soft for her to hear her over the crackling and bursting flames.

"Artemis," she tried again, her voice somewhat louder but not enough for the archer to hear her.

Thankfully, she didn't need to use her voice anymore as Artemis winced when a bright light shot out in front of her, blinding her for a moment. " Get down!" Robin exclaimed from somewhere within the haze of smoke. Artemis jumped out of the way, performing a front flip and landing on her feet as she crouched down.

Robin jumped out of the smoke and threw a few birdarangs into it, probably missing since he couldn't see where he was aiming. They both jumped out of the way again when the mysterious attacker threw another fireball at the duo, missing them.

" _Who_ are we fighting?!" Artemis exclaimed, taking out her bow and drawing an arrow.

"Don't know, but we're sitting ducks by these tubes!" Robin exclaimed, throwing more birdarangs. "Help me grab Electra and we'll head for the exit!"

"Electra?! Where is she?!"

"Close to the tubes!"

Artemis' gaze immediately landed on Electra's weakened form and ran towards her with Robin right behind. Both of her teammates carefully picked her up, placing her arms around their shoulders, not wanting to waste time by finding out if she could run, and dashed for the exit.

Jackie's head dropped as the unbearable pain of her burnt stomach forced her to succumb to a weakened condition. Her hearing picked up the sound of crashing waves and groaned as the sound became louder and closer. "R-Robin," she muttered, trying to warn him of the waters whether it be a delusion or not.

Robin, in response, squeezed her hand in assurance as they dragged her through the hallway. They stopped suddenly when the sound of the waves became louder and gaped at them as they came into view. "Or not," he added, sounding a bit worried.

The waves hit them dead on, crashing into them and throwing them back, causing Artemis and Robin to lose their grip on Electra as they floated farther from each other. Jackie flipped backwards as the pain in her abdomen continued to flare-up, yet felt some relief as the burning slightly subsided. She let out a brief scream, it being enfolded by the waters, and tried to swim above the water. She would have made it if a current didn't hit her in the face, thrusting her back, and ram her into a wall. She grunted and looked around, trying to spot Robin and Artemis, but it was difficult to see anything in the darkened waters.

Right when she started to drown, the water lowered, draining itself into the floor. She gasped as her head rose above the waters and fell down on her knees when the water completely drained, releasing her from it's vicious clutches. She panted, feeling the pressure of her burn and her aching head.

"Electra!"

She glanced up, her vision still blurry a bit but managed to make out the small silhouette of the Boy Wonder as he rapidly came closer, telling her he was running. He crouched down next to her and threw her arm over his shoulders before wrapping an arm around her back, being mindful of where he placed his fingers so he didn't touch her wound, and picked her up. She slumped a bit as he dragged her away from the wall, heading towards the center. She gasped when she heard a few fireballs launch and a bow string swing back into place after an arrow was shot.

"Just a little farther," Robin whispered, panting as he ran as fast as he could.

Jackie nodded weakly and tried pushing her legs to run, believing she was making this hard for the Boy Wonder since she weighed a bit more than him. She stumbled but managed to help relieve a bit of her weight off of his shoulders and make running to the closest exit easier. She gasped as soon as a sudden wave of heat overcame her and threatened to push her down, causing her to stumble more. "R-Robin."

"I know, I know!" he exclaimed and wiped his sweaty brow.

She weakly turned her head, expecting to see another fireball trying to catch up to them but gaped and widened her eyes when she realized it was a tornado made out of fire.

When they reached the exit and entered the workout room, she gasped when Artemis wrapped an arm around her too, startling her and helping Robin carry her. "Robin to Team! Come in! Aqualad!" Robin exclaimed, pressing on his comm link.

"M'gann," Jackie mentally called out, unsure if she was actually connecting to said-Martian.

She gasped as the door behind them blew out and looked over her shoulder to see the fire tornado swirling as it headed straight for them. She widened her eyes and forced herself to push her legs even more to run faster. Unfortunately, they weren't fast enough; the tornado hit them from behind, throwing them forward. She fell, bouncing a bit from the impact, then yelped as a burning sensation now spread along her back. Robin and Artemis helped her stand up, grunting when they threw her arms over their shoulders, and ran for the locker rooms.

"Robin to Batcave: Override RG4!" Robin exclaimed, pressing his comm, then ran into the showers to avoid another tornado. "Cave calling Justice League: HOJ/Watchtower B01, priority red!"

Both Artemis and Robin set Jackie down before running over to the shower knobs and twisting them, turning on the water to keep the fire tornado out.

"Comm is down; locked," Robin informed, turning on the last shower, then ran over to Jackie and knelt down beside her. "Let me see it."

She whimpered as she hesitantly lowered herself down but stayed upright by putting all her weight on her elbows. He pursed his lips as he examined her burn.

"Is it third-degree?" she asked, even though she believed she already knew the answer.

"Let's not jump to conclusions just yet," he answered and took a small tube of ointment out of his belt, "let's just focus on starting the treatment process."

She nodded once then winced, gritting her teeth together when Robin began gently applying the cold ointment on her abdomen. She whimpered and let her head fall back to avoid watching him treat her, so she could concentrate on blocking out the pain.

"How is she?" Artemis asked, coming over after drawing her bow.

"Burned," Robin simply answered.

"Is it severe?"

"Yes," Jackie answered, groaning when he spread the cream over the middle of her abdomen, "very severe."

"We're not jumping to conclusions yet," Robin interjected, "not until you get a medical examination."

She groaned in response and reached for Artemis once Robin was done. "Help me up."

Artemis glanced at the Boy Wonder, who nodded in approval, and crouched down to help Electra stand up. She clutched onto her two teammates, using both of them as support as they looked through the doorway of the showers, seeing the fire tornado spin around as it waited outside. "What are we going to do about that fire tornado?" the archer asked, balancing her bow on her hip as she struggled to hold it.

"Don't know, but at least the water's helping," Robin answered.

Jackie inhaled sharply when she and her teammates picked up the loud rumbling sound of the pipes around the showers. The knobs burst instantly and the tiles on the walls began falling off, causing water to burst through to fill up the room.

"Or not," Robin finished.

Jackie inhaled her last bit of air before being forced underwater when the water filled the room. She glanced to the archway of the showers, noting that the water was being controlled because none of it exited the room to drown out the tornado. She turned to Robin when his arm unwrapped itself from her, and he began swimming to one side of the room. He placed a birdarang mini explosive on the wall and activated it before hurrying back to Jackie and Artemis.

When the bomb went off, all the water emptied out through the hole the bomb caused. Jackie was forcefully thrust forward, letting go of Artemis, and landed harshly on her side in the hallway. She coughed and panted as she allowed oxygen to fill her lungs before Robin and Artemis grabbed Electra and began running, again.

They ran into the kitchen, Jackie still trying to catch her breath, and looked around to see it empty. "We need to get lost," Robin mentioned, looking around.

"The air vent!" Artemis exclaimed, pointing towards the air duct.

"Good! Go!"

Artemis pulled Electra alongside her as they dashed for the air duct, leaving Robin by the entrance. The archer climbed on top of the stove as Jackie rested against it, waiting for her to open it and trying to catch her breath.

The seventeen year old glanced back at the Boy Wonder to see him using his gloved computer as he rapidly typed into it. "R-Robin," she called out, "what are you doing?"

"Downloading Cave blueprints. Could come in-" he started to answer until the sound of metallic footsteps reached their ears. "Go, go!"

Electra climbed the stove, wincing when pain shot through her abdomen, and grabbed onto Artemis' outstretched arms from the vent. The archer pulled Electra into the duct with Robin helping her by pushing her up then crawled further into the vent for him to get in. Jackie followed her, being as quick as she could so Robin could climb in. She started crawling, trying to go as fast as her burn would allow before the pain drastically increased.

"Go left!" Robin announced from behind Electra and Artemis, who both obeyed and turned left.

Jackie gasped and looked behind her when the sound of shooting flames reached her ears. Robin grimaced as he watched the shooting fire fly up a different direction, barely missing him by an inch. "Eh. Too close," he commented, sounding a bit uneasy, then nodded at her to keep moving.

She nodded back and did as told, listening to the sound of the Boy Wonder crawl from behind her. When they came to another intersection in the vents, she asked, "Which way?"

"Take the first right!" he ordered and the two teen girls obeyed and turned right.

They crawled for a few more moments before Electra's pain in her abdomen started to flare-up again, causing her to grimace and whimper. "How much farther?" she weakly asked, feeling the need to rest.

Robin looked at the blueprints he downloaded onto his glove computer. "There should be a vent cover right in front of you."

Artemis stopped by the vent cover and took it off before setting it aside and turning to look at Jackie. "Do you think you can slide down?"

"I-I think so." Jackie crawled closer to the slide before turning to Artemis. "You should go first just in case I need someone to catch me."

The archer nodded and slid down, falling onto another vent and looking up at Jackie. "The vent's secure! Slide down, so it'll be an easier fall!"

Jackie sighed before glancing at Robin, who nodded in agreement, and reluctantly slid down, feeling the pain from her abdomen protest the action. She grunted as soon as she landed on the vent, catching onto Artemis, who held her arms to keep her steady.

"Are you alright?" the archer asked.

"Yeah, I'm good," she panted out, placing a hand on her head and crouching down, "we should open the vent."

Artemis nodded and crouched down next to her as Electra climbed the walls of the vent a little to keep some space between the two of them. She kicked open the vent and jumped down then looked up at her. "Ready?"

The seventeen year old nodded and let go, falling into her teammates arms. She thanked her as she was set down on the metal walkway and glanced around, realizing they were now in the boiling room. She frowned; if their attacker found them in here and blew up the place, they would all die or be severely burned; she really hoped it would be the former instead of living a lifetime with most of her skin gone.

Robin jumped down next, landing behind the two of them, then checked the blueprints on his glove computer. "This way," he instructed, running down the platform and over to a stairway. Jackie ran next, fighting through her pain, with Artemis right behind her.

They halted and whirled around in surprise and a bit of fear when they heard a thunderous then a crashing noise as something landed harshly on the walkway. Jackie widened her eyes at seeing the shape of a silhouette standing in the center of a large fire, telling her that _this_ was their attacker. Their attacker raised their arms, causing more flames to erupt and spread throughout the entire room, making Jackie self-consciously cover her burn with her hand.

She shared a look with Robin before he grabbed her arm and forced her to climb the railing. She gulped, understanding that she needed to jump but worried that she wouldn't be able to turn her flight on with her injury. Still, she took a deep breath and threw herself off the platform, closing her eyes and trying to signal her flight on; thankfully, it worked. She levitated the rest of the way down, landing beside Robin and Artemis, who both jumped once she activated her flight.

They then ran over to hide behind a boiler as Robin glanced past it to take a look at their attacker. Jackie wiped her sweaty brow and took off her jacket, it being too hot to wear a few layers of clothing, then wrapped it around her wound to prevent it from damaging itself further, and glanced at the boiler in front of them, noticing the temperature of the room heat it up as it beeped in warning.

"That's not good," Robin stated, frowning at the heated boiler, before pulling his two teammates with him to run.

Jackie panted as her heart pounded against her chest but shrieked when a shooting flame barely breezed her bare shoulder. She winced but kept running, determined to get far away from the sinister flames.

They ran past several boilers as the pipes connecting them burst and white steam shot out of them, which they barely dodged. They stopped, hiding behind another boiler to use as cover as more flames were shot past them. Electra bended down, placing her hands on her knees to keep her standing as she struggled to catch her breath. "Where next?" she asked, panting.

"I know that clear access tunnel is here somewhere," the Boy Wonder answered, looking at the blueprints again.

"You mean this one?!" Artemis exclaimed, jumping into the open tunnel.

Robin placed an explosive next to the boiler they were hiding behind and pulled Jackie with him over to the tunnel. They both jumped in and crawled quickly through the tunnels to avoid getting hit from the explosion. They jumped down further into the tunnel, hearing the explosive go off, then began crawling again but at a slower pace.

"Hold on," the Boy Wonder commanded, it sounding more of a request than a command. The two in front of him both stopped, glanced at each other, then crawled over to him, sitting down in front of him as he broke open a little box. He connected his glove computer to the power box, it reminding Electra of an outlet, and rapidly typed into it. "Blocking out Cave's motion and heat sensors to prevent the enemy from tracking us."

"And I ask again: _who_ is the enemy?" Artemis asked, repeating her question from earlier.

"Yeah, I've never fought someone like this before," Jackie admitted, leaning her back against the tunnel wall.

"Let's find out," Robin answered, smirking before typing back into his gloved computer, "downloading Cave's security footage. There!"

Jackie scooted closer, letting Artemis lean in to watch as the footage played, showing the rest of their Team and Sphere standing around Superboy's bike.

 _"Torque wrench," Wally requested as he knelt down next to Superboy's bike, working on it. He held out his hand for the requested tool as Miss Martian levitated it over to him. "Thank you, green cheeks."_

 _"I have been meaning to ask," Aqualad started, uncrossing his arms, "any problems juggling school work with your responsibilities here?"_

 _"Nope," Superboy answered, sounding a bit bored as he placed his hands on his hips._

 _"Juggling is just one of my many talents." Wally held out his hand again. "Socket wrench."_

 _Miss Martian levitated the requested tool over to the speedster. "Cheerleading practice has presented a challenge," she admitted before quickly correcting herself, "oh, but my first loyalty is always to the Team. This Team, not Bumblebees."_

 _"What of Electra? Do you think she will do well in school and still come to the Cave?" Aqualad asked._

Jackie bit her lip; she knew then that Aqualad was asking about the absent teammates to figure out who the mole was, but she didn't think he still considered her a suspect, especially after what happened yesterday.

 _"I'm not sure. I know she's missed a few training sessions, but she normally comes," M'gann answered._

 _Wally shrugged. "Can't say that I know either. I don't really know her that well; she doesn't really share much about herself."_

The seventeen year old hummed, pleased that Wally had said that; she was hoping she wasn't revealing too much information about herself to the Team.

 _"Artemis starts school today," the Atlantean stated, "do you think_ she _will have trouble maintaining her loyalties?"_

Electra glanced over at Artemis, who glared at the footage, before turning her attention back to it.

 _"Nah, she'll manage alright," Wally answered, "I mean, how much more hostile and annoying-"_

 _A large wave crashed into them, making them all scream shortly in surprise before being put under water, and took out the security camera._

"What happened?" Artemis asked, turning her attention back to Robin.

"Explosion took out the camera." Robin rapidly typed into his computer. "I'll find another angle."

He pulled up three different screens, each showing the layout of the Hangar. The first camera showed the pool where the water began crashing around before overflowing and shooting out before shooting up at that camera, effectively taking it out. The second one showed the rest of their washed up teammates standing up and running over to fight whoever the enemy was but get knocked back down as a large wave threw them back, knocking out the second camera while doing so. The third showed M'gann and Aqualad trying to get to higher ground to attempt to have the advantage for the battle but halt when another explosion took out the third camera.

Jackie placed a hand over her gaping mouth as shock overcame her. Her teammates were overtaken quickly and the enemy knew where all the cameras were. How much did they know about their hideout? Was this the resulting factor of the mole?

Robin frowned. "That's it. All four are dead." Artemis and Electra looked at him in shock with a bit of sorrow, and he widened his eyes, realizing what they were both thinking. "The cameras! I-I meant the cameras! I'm sure the others are okay. Just give me a sec to find the fastest route to the Hangar."

Artemis slumped back, bringing her knees up to her chest and holding them. "Yeah, they're fine. They've all got superpowers; they can handle anything."

"So do I," Electra defended.

"Well, yes, but you've barely started using your superpowers!" She turned to her then gestured to her stomach. "And look what happened to you!"

"Fair point."

* * *

09:25 EST.

After a few minutes of searching, Robin finally found the fastest route to the Hangar. All three teenagers headed to the Library, crawling quickly to find their friends sooner.

When they reached the end of their trek, the Boy Wonder took off the shaft, revealing the brimful library. All three jumped, grunting once they landed and ran down the staircase before reaching the halfway point and jumping over the railing.

Jackie panted, feeling her burn flare-up again. "Robin, I'm going to need more of that ointment."

"Sure, I'll give it to you when we find good cover," Robin answered before slowing his pace to a walk, "there's a secret passage behind one of these bookcases."

"Seriously? Cliché much?" Artemis sarcastically questioned, rolling her eyes slightly.

"You should see the Batcave," he replied, glancing at all of the bookcases.

Right as they passed their fifth bookcase, they whirled around when they heard a door open. Jackie attempted to fire up her electricity but only managed to create a few sparks before Robin pulled her and Artemis to hide behind the bookcase they were next to. She heard the intruder walk in, their footsteps sounding metallic against the floor.

"Artemis," Red Tornado's voice called out, "Robin, Electra."

The archer gasped, grinning. "It's Red Tornado!"

Jackie stepped out first, smiling in relief, but then gaped when she realized it wasn't Red Tornado; it was a different walking machine. A gasp reached Jackie's ears and glanced behind her to see Artemis in a bit of surprise and fear as she saw the robot she found. The walking robot reached out to the two of them, attempting to grab them. She flew up and kicked the bot in the head, regretting her decision when her pain drastically increased from the movements and her foot throbbed in protest.

"Yes on the Red! No on the Tornado!" Robin exclaimed, tackling Artemis to the ground while Electra kicked him, and both rolled under a nearby table before the bot smashed it.

The seventeen year old followed her friends, still up in the air to keep space between her and the enemy. They tried heading for the exit but stopped when another intruder, a female robot, stood in the way and shot scorching flames at each of them, signaling the sprinklers to turn on.

Artemis and Robin jumped on top of the bookcases to avoid the flames while Jackie stayed up in the air, believing that jumping would only cause more pain to her wound. "Who? What are they?!" the former exclaimed.

"Don't know, but I'm not willing to stick around to find out!" Electra exclaimed, landing next to Artemis on top of a bookcase while Robin jumped down from it.

The archer shot an arrow at the duo but the male robot created a shield made out of water, destroying her arrow before it hit them. The female punched the nearest bookcase, effectively causing a domino effect to occur with all the other bookcases in front of it.

The two teens widened their eyes and jumped down next to Robin, who pulled on a book. The book caused the bookcase it was in to slide down, revealing the secret passageway, and all three of them rushed in, running down a staircase. Jackie looked behind her, watching as the bookcase slid back in it's place, keeping their location a secret.

"Did you two know Tornado had siblings?!" Artemis exclaimed in distress.

"No," Robin answered, that being the only reply he would give, and Electra nodded in agreement.

They walked for a few more minutes before they reached an intersection. Robin was about to turn left (?) until Artemis pulled him back by grabbing his hand.

"So now what?" she demanded, crossing her arms. "Red Tornado is one of the League's powerhouses! How are we supposed to take down _two_ of them?!"

"Well, they do seem pretty user-unfriendly," Robin replied, smirking a bit.

"How can you joke at a time like this?!" Jackie exclaimed in distress, feeling panicked. "Two robots that are just as powerful as Red Tornado attacked the Cave, attacked our friends and injured me!"

He was about to say something until the intercom beeped, signaling that it was turning on.

"Attention, Robin. Attention, Artemis. Attention, Electra," the male robot's voice echoed over the intercom, "You have exactly ten minutes to surrender or the lives of your teammates will be extinguished."

The teenagers all shared a look, possibly of fear, maybe sorrow, perhaps a bit of both.

"Nine minutes, forty-five seconds," he continued, counting down the time and causing her heart to drop.

All that went through Jackie's mind, however, was that her friends were alive, and she had to save them, even if it killed her.

* * *

09: 26 EST.

The teenagers decided not to surrender; they had to try to save their friends.

Jackie hoped the enemies weren't lying; she hoped her teammates were still alive. If they were, she was a goner if they had to battle.

They headed to the Hangar, running as fast as they could as adrenaline pumped through their veins and the clock counted down.

"Eight minutes," the man robot announced over the intercom.

"We can access the Hangar from here," Robin stated, pointing in the direction they were running in, but stopped when he heard the sound of crashing water.

The other two turned around, noticing a tidal wave come crashing from around the corner and heading straight towards them. Jackie gasped and widened her eyes in fear as it got closer and turned around, starting to run again.

"Or not," Robin continued, finishing his previous statement, as he and Artemis followed Jackie through the hall.

"Will you _please_ stop saying that?" Artemis exclaimed, annoyed and in distress.

Electra's heart pumped drastically against her rib cage, the thought of not wanting to drown motivating her to run faster than she ever had. She panted, feeling her burn increase it's severity of the pain she was experiencing. She involuntarily flew forward, a scream engulfed by the crashing waves that caught up to her. The vicious waters filled up to the top, blocking her from reaching any air and causing her jacket to loosen itself from her burn, leaving her wound vulnerable to any attack. She cried out in pain as a current thrust her back, hitting her in the abdomen and causing her wound to bleed.

Thin threads of blood surrounded her as she desperately searched for Robin and Artemis, hoping they were alright and ignoring her pain. When she set her eyes on them, she gasped, letting in a little water, as the robot man grabbed Artemis' ankle and yanked her down deeper underwater. She swam over to her, causing more blood to spill, but didn't stop as the feeling to save Artemis grew stronger. Robin beat her to it though; he grabbed one of the arrows that floated out of Artemis' quiver and jammed it into the robot's eye, making it let go of their teammate.

He grabbed the archer, took out his grappling hook, fired it and hoisted them up to the surface, dropping explosives on the way. When he reached Jackie, Artemis grabbed onto her and took her along with them.

When they reached the surface, Electra gasped for breath, feeling woozy from losing so much blood. She looked around, spotting Wally and Superboy trapped in some sort of melted metal prison.

"Look out!" Superboy shouted, and Jackie ducked back under water, barely dodging a hurtling fireball and swimming towards the two imprisoned friends then resurfacing next to the speedster.

"You guys okay?" Robin asked the two imprisoned teenagers.

"Forget us! Help M'gann!" Superboy shouted, panicking and looking up. All of them looked up, spotting a cage made out of fire where, Electra guessed, Aqualad and M'gann were being imprisoned.

"Aqualad! Is she-" Artemis started, panic clear in her tone.

"She is unconscious!" Aqualad shouted back, sounding exhausted and making Jackie's heart drop even lower, "I fear she-we-cannot survive much longer!"

"We'll get you out!" Jackie shouted, desperation and worry clear in her tone, as her eyes filled with tears. "I promise!"

"Electra, are you alright?!"

She glanced down at the bloody water surrounding her before looking at the rest of her teammates, noting their sympathetic and worried expressions as they stared down at her blood. "D-Don't worry about me! I-I'm fine!"

"Be careful! Please!"

"I will!" A tear escaped her eye, and she wiped it with her bloodied hand, sniffling. "I promise we will get you out of-!"

The sound of flames stopped her from yelling as each of them turned their heads to the right, seeing the female robot flying towards them and aiming at them. "Swim!" Jackie yelled, diving under water to avoid getting hit again.

Robin and Artemis followed closely behind, swimming as fast as they could to the staircase that led to the cage Aqualad and M'gann were being held in. They resurfaced, climbing the steps. Electra gasped as the cold air hit her burn, stinging it, but she still climbed, wanting to reach the cage.

They all stopped climbing, however, when the robot man surfaced from the water and walked towards them. Artemis pulled out her bow and an arrow as Robin reached for his birdarangs from his belt, and Jackie fired up her electricity, it finally becoming more than a spark. They then looked behind them when the sound of crackling flames reached their ears and saw the female robot stop at the top of the steps, blocking them from reaching the cage.

Jackie gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes as she glared at the woman bot. She had to take her down. If she was going to rescue Aqualad and M'gann, that robot had to go.

"I'm almost out of arrows!" Artemis informed, exclaiming as she clutched her bow in her hand.

"Distract her! Now!" Robin ordered, glancing at both of them.

Electra let out a battle cry and flew towards the robot, following Robin's orders and determined to save her friends. She threw an electric ball, aiming for the woman's head, but unfortunately missed as the enemy ducked. Her teammate, Artemis, shot an arrow, it exploding in front of the robot, but it didn't seem to deter the enemy from advancing on them. She flew down once she heard the sound of metal clashing against metal and looked over her shoulder to see Robin throwing birdarangs, one of them barely missing Wally by an inch as it lodged into his melted metal prison. Both robots powered up their attacks and shot water and fire at the teens, forcing them to dive back into the water to avoid the clashing elements.

They swam to another vent before Robin pulled it open and let them in, offering their escape route. Artemis pushed Jackie in first before following with the Boy Wonder behind her. Jackie emerged from the water, selfishly gasping in as much breath as she needed. Robin pushed her up, forcing her to climb into the small tunnel then help pull the other two up.

They crawled around for a while before stopping when they heard the male bot announce, "Six minutes."

"What do we do now?!" Artemis exclaimed, panicking more than she had before.

"We save them," Robin answered simply, "that's how it works."

Artemis glared. "Maybe that's how it's supposed to work but those robots already took out our four _superpowered_ friends, including Electra!"

"I'm still here," Jackie defended, glaring a bit, "they haven't taken me out yet."

"With your wound, you'll probably be the first of us to fall."

"Not if I can help it."

"Help it?! Look at you! Your stomach is bleeding! You have a third degree burn in a place that could kill you!"

Electra softened her glare before looking down at her stomach, noting how terrible it looked. Artemis was right; she could die from this. "We don't know if it's third degree," she muttered.

"You seem distraught," Robin stated, pointing out the obvious.

" _Distraught_?!" Artemis snapped. "M'gann is dying! We have no powers, Electra can barely use hers, and I'm down to my _last_ _arrow_!" She pulled out her last arrow to prove her point. "Of course I'm distraught!"

Robin glared back. "Well get _traught_ or get _dead_!" he snapped back before turning to crawl away from her.

"How can you two be so calm?" Artemis inquired, yelling, and following Jackie and Robin.

"Practice," he replied softer than before, "I've been doing this since I was nine."

"What about you?" she asked Electra, "How are you so calm?"

"Believe me, I'm freaking out on the inside. I could die, Artemis, but I'm not letting that stop me because I have to save our friends," Electra answered truthfully.

Artemis sent a sympathetic look her way before returning back to her panicked demeanor. "What good is that now?" she questioned Robin, "what chance do we have against unrelenting machines?"

Robin halted, staying silent for a moment before gasping. "Oh duh! They're machines!"

"So?" Jackie asked weakly, feeling more woozy than before as blood dripped onto the floor beneath them.

"One electromagnetic pulse will shut down any machine within range," Robin continued, smirking.

"Great!" Artemis exclaimed, her face lighting up with hope before it returned back to it's angry expression. "Except you better have an EMP emitter in your utility belt because I know I don't have one in my quiver."

"I'm fresh out, but I'm betting we can make one." Robin touched his comm. "What do you say, KF? Do-able?"

"Totally Do-able!" KF exclaimed through Robin's earpiece.

"Five minutes," the robot man announced.

"You know, if you had more time," Wally finished, his voice dropping to a hopeless tone.

"No, we can do this," Electra encouraged. "Where do we go to make the emitter?"

Robin and Artemis shared a look before the former placed a hand on her shoulder. "You should stay behind," he commented, giving her a sympathetic look, "you're not in any shape to continue fighting."

"What?! I am _not_ going to just sit here while you're both fighting for _our_ friends lives!"

"You're losing too much blood!" Robin exclaimed, glaring, "You _are_ staying behind!"

"No, I'm not!"

"Just take her to the Med-Lab," KF ordered, "she can stay there to rest up."

"I'm going to the Med-Lab with you _and_ I'm going to help you with the emitter," Jackie insisted, glaring back at Robin.

He scowled, making her widen her eyes. "Fine!" He turned from her and started crawling away from them, heading towards the Med-Lab.

The seventeen year old was taken aback; he gave up quickly; he must of thought she wouldn't give up until he agreed she could go with them, which seemed out of character. Still, she followed him with Artemis behind her.

* * *

09: 29 EST

When they made it to the Med-Lab, Robin immediately started working on the X-ray machine to create the emitter with Wally instructing him. Jackie sat on the bed in the room, resting as she waited for him to be done. She closed her eyes and held her head as it pounded against her skull then groaned when it started spinning. She was losing a lot of blood; the burn ate it's way through two layers of her stomach, close to her third, and the one on her shoulder was too small to worry about, according to Robin when he briefly examined her wound before ordering her to sit down. She fell back, feeling too dizzy to stay sitting up.

After a moment, she opened her eyes when she heard the sound of something clicking in a lock. She lifted her head up and gasped when she saw her hand handcuffed to the railing of the bed with Robin and Artemis standing next to it. "R-Robin? What are you doing?"

"You need to rest," he answered softly, looking at her sympathetically.

"No!" She sat up, gasping as her burn flared up more. "I'm coming with you."

"You'll die if you do!" He glared before sighing when he saw her pained expression. "I'm sorry, Electra, but you're in no condition to battle."

"B-But I can at least be a lookout!"

"No, you're staying here."

"What if those robots come here and see me handcuffed to this bed?! They'll kill me!"

"You're safer here than out there. They would never risk leaving our friends to go and search for us when we could go to them."

"B-But-!"

"No, Electra!" He yelled, making her purse her lips shut. "You're staying here and that's final!"

She sighed; he wasn't going to give up. She turned around in the bed to lay down vertically. She rested her head on the pillow and, with Artemis' help, placed the blanket over her legs. "Then leave the ointment," she ordered, sounding monotone.

Robin softened his expression. "Don't be like that. I just don't want you to get hurt."

"I already _am_ hurt, Robin!"

"I don't want you to get more hurt than you already are."

She sighed; she knew arguing was hopeless. "Okay, okay. Please just leave me the ointment before you go."

He smiled softly and took out the ointment from his utility belt before placing it next to her on the bed. "We'll come back when this is all over and then start you on proper treatment."

She nodded once, that being the only response she gave him before turning her head away from them. She felt one of them gently squeeze her shoulder before they both raced back to the air shaft, heading back to the Hangar to activate the EMP emitter Robin built.

A minute after they left, Electra weakly sat up. She stared at the shaft and listened, wanting to make sure they were gone before attempting to get out of the handcuffs. Not hearing their crawling or voices, she smirked and picked up the ointment. She twisted off the cap and squeezed the slippery ointment on her captured hand and even around the cuff to slide out easier. After she used the entire tube, she set it down then grasped onto the cuff with her other hand. She took a deep breath, preparing herself to slide her hand out, then pulled. The cuff clanged against the bed railing, preventing her from lifting her hand higher in the air, as she pulled. She grunted as the handcuff squeezed against the back of her hand as it tried to slide off. A few moments later, she gasped as the cuff slid completely off, falling limply onto the bed.

She sighed in relief and stared at the shaft; it was time to go save her friends.

* * *

09: 31 EST

Jackie was lost; she couldn't remember how to get back to the Hangar. She berated herself, knowing she should have memorized the blueprints Robin downloaded.

She winced and clutched onto her now bandaged stomach, feeling her wound open more and causing more blood to seep through her tight bandages. She sighed in despair; Robin was right; she couldn't fight in this condition. How could she? She'd bleed to death before she even threw a punch.

But what if Robin and Artemis needed her? What if everything went wrong and the only person to complete the rescue mission was her? Who would save them? She looked up, narrowing her eyes as a new motivation arose in her mind; she had to be the one to save them, even if it killed her. She continued to crawl, trying her hardest to ignore the continuous pain in her abdomen.

After a few moments, she froze when the robot man announced, "Three minutes."

She pursed her lips, anxiety rolling off her muscles and crawled faster. Unfortunately, she went a little too fast; she slipped, not seeing a shaft that slid down. She screamed as she slid on her abdomen, feeling her pain increase drastically, and attempted to stop by placing her hands on the walls of the shaft, trying to find a secure spot. She saw the opening of the shaft, it leading into a room with brown carpet. She whimpered, knowing she'd fall through and land on her stomach if she didn't stop. When she realized she couldn't stop, she held her hands out in front of her, coming up with the idea that if she landed on her hands she might not land on her stomach; she'd probably break her wrists but that would most likely be better than losing anymore blood.

She fell through the opening. She shut her eyes, preparing for a few bones to break. Faster than she thought, she landed, not as hard as she thought. Her wrists did hurt a little, but they felt fine and not broken. However, she was sure she scraped her knees when she landed on the carpet. She sighed in relief and stood up, going slow as to not damage herself even further.

"Electra?!"

She whirled around, trying to fire up her electricity but powered down when she saw her teammate. "Artemis?" she asked, widening her eyes, "what are you doing here? Where's Robin?"

The archer looked down, a sorrowful expression on her face. "H-He was captured. Maybe dead," she whispered, barely audible.

"What?" Jackie asked in disbelief. "What happened?"

"He swung over to the generator while I stayed behind and covered him. He started activating the emitter, but he had a problem with it; I think I heard him say something about needing a piece of metal." Artemis glanced back up at Jackie. "But then, the male robot spotted him; it sent a tidal wave at Robin, crashing into him and drowning him. I tried to warn him before it happened, but I was too late. The female one spotted me next and threw fireballs at me as I tried to shoot the male; I missed because she threw me off."

Electra glanced down, her eyes watering with tears; Robin could be dead, their teammates were going to die. What were they going to do?

"I was trying to find a way out of the Cave to contact the League," she continued, "but I slipped in the shaft and ended up here."

The seventeen year old ran a shaky hand through her hair. "But if we leave the Cave, our friends will die."

"So will we!" Artemis argued, glaring. "We're not strong enough to stop them!"

"But they're still our friends!" She softened her angry expression and softened her voice. "Maybe even family."

The archer widened her eyes before looking towards Cheshire's mask standing on the shelf in the Trophy room. "Like family," she whispered.

Electra scrunched her eyebrows and tilted her head, trying to understand Artemis' words as she looked from the mask to her fellow teammate. Then, it clicked. "Artemis, you know Cheshire, don't you?"

Artemis tensed. "Of course I know Cheshire," she quickly replied, "we battled when she and the League of Assassins were trying to kill a professor."

"No, I mean, do you know Cheshire personally?"

Artemis scoffed. "No. If I knew her, don't you think I would have told the Team?"

"Not if you were trying to protect her."

"Oh please! Why would I want to protect her?"

Jackie glanced down and turned away from Artemis slightly, staring at the door to the Trophy room. Maybe she should tell Artemis about Jade; it's obvious she knows her more personally than she's letting on. That gives her a reason to trust her, right? They could become closer as teammates, friends even, if she shared this information.

But there was still the possibility that Artemis could be the mole on the Team. If she gave away that she knew Jade, that could give the mole more info on her and possibly reveal her position to her father.

She sighed; she had to do it. If she was going to reach Artemis to convince her to help her save their friends, she had to be honest and admit what she knew of Jade.

"The same reason I would want to," Electra answered to the archer's previous question, "because she's my friend, maybe even like the sister I never had."

Artemis widened her eyes, surprise and shock expressed through them, and gaped. "Y-You mean, you know Cheshire?"

"Yes, I know who she is under the mask too."

"B-But why would you keep that from the Team? Why didn't you tell us?"

"Because I wanted to protect her and myself, like you want to protect her." Jackie looked back up at her teammate. "Or maybe you're trying to protect yourself too? You don't want to get kicked off the Team and interrogated, don't you?"

"I-I."

"It's okay, Artemis. You can trust me."

Artemis sighed. "Y-Yes, I know her," she admitted, then closed her eyes in sadness, " _personally_."

"You two are friends?"

"No." She looked back at the mask. "We're sisters."

Electra widened her eyes; they were sisters? Jade's secret sister was Artemis? But, why would Jade allow Artemis to join the Team when she tried so hard to convince Jackie to leave? Did she know? "You're sisters?"

"Yeah."

"B-But that would mean that Sportsmaster is your dad."

Artemis abruptly looked back up at her, a shocked expression showing. "H-How did you know that?"

"Because Jade told me who her father was." She ran another hand through her hair. "I don't believe this."

This wasn't good; Sportsmaster was working with her father to try and find her. Artemis could be the inside source for him. If she was the inside source, her identity was in jeopardy.

But Jade also told her that Artemis disliked her father. He abandoned her, her sister, and her mother years ago, leaving them to fend for themselves. She told her that he abused them both when they were kids and sometimes pinned them against each other to 'train'. That sounded just like how Jackie's father treated her.

Artemis and Jade came from an abusive home, just like she had. Their father beat them, like her father had. He was a monster, just like her father.

"Electra? Are you okay?" Artemis asked, walking closer to her.

"You hate your father, don't you?"

She tensed then sighed. "Yes."

"You hate your father because he abused you and Jade when you were kids and left you to take care of your mother all by yourself."

"J-Jade told you all of that? How close are you two?"

"We're like sisters too."

"She knows who you are?"

"She knows _everything_ about me; she's family."

Artemis glanced back at Cheshire's mask. "Like the Team?"

Electra placed a comforting hand on Artemis' shoulder. "Like the Team."

The archer walked back over to the shelf and picked up the mask. Jackie thought about asking her what she was doing until she closed her eyes, making her realize she was remembering something, probably a memory.

"That might have been true about our family," Artemis softly whispered and softened her expression, "but I found a new family. And here, we're all for one and-"

"One minute," the robot man announced, interrupting Artemis' moment.

Her teammate quickly placed the mask back before glancing at the arrow next to it, standing as a trophy. She took it off the shelf, twisting it in her hand, then looked at Jackie, who smiled softly and nodded once, telling her they _had_ to use it.

* * *

09:34 EST.

This was nerve-wracking; surrendering to the enemy really put someone in a tight spot. Those machines could choose to kill Artemis and Electra when they surrendered. Their plan could fail. They could die. But to save their friends, or at least attempt to save them, they had to surrender.

The elevator doors slid open, revealing the two teens, both looking down in defeat. They stepped out, walking towards the intruders, who turned to them.

"We surrender. Stop the clock," Artemis announced, choking back a sob.

Electra glanced at the cage made out of fire and almost let tears fall from her eyes as she saw M'gann unconscious with Aqualad next to her, weakened. She widened her eyes, however, when he lifted himself up to look in the direction of Artemis' voice. He widened his eyes in fear, possibly concern, and lifted his hand up to Electra as he shook his head, telling her to stop. She sent him a sympathetic look, shaking her head in reply, telling him she wasn't going to obey him. His hand dropped limply over M'gann's unconscious form as his mouth gaped and his head dropped, possibly disappointed in her disobedience.

When they reached the machines, the male held out his hand, expecting her to hand him her bow. She reached over to his outstretched palm, hesitantly handing it over before clutching it back to her, jumping on his hand, and kicking him in the head.

Electra flew up to the female's head and placed her palms on the sides of it before using all the strength she could muster to fire up her electricity and blow this darn robot's head off. Sparks flew out of her palms and the robot frantically attempted to get out of her hold. The bot reached her hand out to the teen before shooting flames at her, making her let go and fly out of the way to avoid getting burned again. She screamed, however, when a flame hit her leg, making it burn and throb as a piece of her pant leg and her first layer of skin burned off.

"Electra!" Aqualad exclaimed, worry clear in his tone.

She gritted her teeth in anger and fired up her electricity again, attempting to electrocute her, but didn't get the chance to as a tidal wave hit her, knocking her over the platform and into the water below. She screamed when several currents thrusts themselves at her, taking her deeper and deeper into the water. Her bandages peeled off as they became drenched, leaving her wound exposed. Pain drastically increased as she cried out and attempted to swim up but another current knocked her back down, hitting her abdomen. She cried out louder as the water around her turned dark red and the currents kept hitting her in the stomach.

She grunted as her back hit the bottom of the overflowing ocean in the Hangar and clasped her hands around her neck, feeling water fill her lungs rapidly. Her vision started to darken as her body lay limply on the floor, her blood continuing to seep out around her as the currents kept pushing her down. She cried out softly, a few bubbles escaping her mouth, as she closed her eyes and waited to die.

* * *

09:36 EST.

Was she dead? She wasn't sure. Her father forced her into states like this before, but she always woke up later on. But this felt different; she couldn't force herself to wake up like her father taught her. Did that mean she truly was dead?

It was dark and cold, causing her to shiver. It was quiet too; she expected to see angels or some sort of light, greeting her to go to rest.

But what's weird was that she was wet. Why was she wet? Was it because she died by drowning from the water or the loss of blood and now she was supposed to feel what killed her? She didn't know; she didn't _want_ to know.

All she knew was that she was alone and terrified as she floated in the darkness. She wished she hadn't died. She hoped Artemis succeeded in saving their friends for her. She wished she could have told her mother and uncle she loved them before she died.

Tears escaped her eyes as she hugged herself, trying to comfort herself during this trial. Why did this happen? Why didn't she see the tidal wave coming her way?

Batman was going to have to tell her family she died. She smiled softly; but he would tell them she died a hero and her death wouldn't be left in vain. She closed her eyes in content, feeling the comfort of knowing that Batman would do the right thing for her; he probably would even honor her death; at least, she hoped he would.

"Electra?! Electra, can you hear me?" Aqualad's concerned voice echoed in the darkness.

She jumped, spinning around as she tried to locate him. Did he die too? Was he here with her? "Kaldur! Where are you?!" she called back, worried and hoping he'd answer.

"Electra, please wake up," he softly pleaded, his tone full of dread.

"Come on, Electra," Artemis' voice whispered.

"Electra, you have to fight through this," Robin whispered, "you _can_ fight through this. Just wake up."

"I am awake!" she yelled, spinning once more in a circle. "I'm right here! Follow my voice! We can stay in the darkness together!"

Something small and wet fell on her cheek, making her lift her hand up to discover nothing there, as if it never touched her. She sobbed, both in relief and sorrow; she was alive, but unconscious, and her friends couldn't wake her; but she couldn't wake up either, which meant she could be in a coma or she was dying.

"I have to wake up," she muttered, "but how? My father's methods didn't work when I first-!"

She gasped as a pair of soft and delicate lips smashed against hers, blowing air into her lungs before leaving then coming back to distribute more air; one of her teammates was performing CPR on her. She choked, coughing up water as it poured out of her lungs. She grunted when her heart pounded against her ribcage, rather harshly, making a smile spread on her face; she was starting to breathe again; her friends were saving her. She gasped and shielded her eyes as a bright light filled her vision.

* * *

09: 37 EST.

Jackie gasped, taking in as much greedy breaths as need be, and snapped her eyes open. She then coughed, feeling water rise up from her lungs and turned on her side to cough it out.

"Electra," Kaldur whispered, patting her back to help her cough out the excessive water.

Once she finished, she turned back over, panting, and saw his smiling face. She smiled back. "Kaldur," she whispered, "are you okay?"

"I am now. Thanks to you," he replied and placed a hand on her shoulder before worriedly looking down at her wound, "you need treatment."

She sheepishly shrugged. "Yeah, I do."

"Look who's awake!" Wally exclaimed.

She looked to her left, noticing Wally and Superboy still stuck in their metal prisons, Miss Martian leaning against Robin, and Artemis trying to get some sort of machine to turn on. All four looked over at her, smiling.

"Welcome back," Robin greeted, walking over to her with M'gann holding onto him but frowned, "you disobeyed my order."

"You're not exactly my leader," she retorted, smirking, "besides, it was a good thing that I did."

"She's right," Artemis admitted, "if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have come back."

He smirked before glancing at Artemis, who smiled and nodded once. "Yeah, I guess it was," he stated, winking at Jackie before walking M'gann back over.

"But you disobeyed _my_ order," Aqualad stated, making her flinch, "and I _am_ your leader."

She sheepishly smiled. "Well, I-"

"I would have done the same thing." He smiled and squeezed her shoulder gently. "Thank you, Electra."

She grinned and reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck and tried to stand. He stood, wrapping his arms around her waist and helping her up. She sighed in relief once she was up but winced as her burn flared-up and bled out. She grimaced and looked up at him. "I suppose I should get to the Med-Lab."

"That would be wise."

She nodded once before looking over at the others. "Let's help them first."

He sternly looked at her. "You need to rest."

"I'll rest when we free Wally and Connor."

He shook his head a little, a small smile on his lips. "You are very stubborn."

She shrugged. "It was the way I was born."

He sighed and repositioned himself as he wrapped one arm around her waist and wrapped one of her arms around his shoulder before leading her over to the others.

"Figured my only shot was to 'surrender'; pretend to drown before I actually did," Robin finished explaining before shrugging, "blacked out though."

"M'gann," Connor called, worry clear in his tone, as he reached over to hold her hand. Jackie smiled softly; ever since they've been together, he'd been showing more care and worry for her.

The Martian clasped hands with him before smiling softly. "I'll be fine," she assured, sounding more tired than weak.

"Will you quit playing with that thing and cut us free already?!" Wally exclaimed, narrowing his eyes at Artemis as she tried to turn on the machine.

"It's not working, genius! EMP shuts down all machines, remember?" she retorted, narrowing her eyes at him.

"All machines present at the time."

Everyone looked to their right, noticing Red Tornado fly into the room and over to them. "What has occurred?" he asked, looking at them.

Robin placed one of his hands on his hip and glanced at the two robots lying motionless on the ground. "Had a little visit from your family," he explained simply.

"Your extremely nasty family!" Artemis added on.

"I was not aware I had relations," the robot hero defended and started walking over to the intruders.

"Where have you been?" Superboy questioned.

"Monitor duty on the Watchtower." He knelt down next to the motionless bots. "When it became clear that Cave communications were down, I attempted to investigate, but your Zeta Tubes were also nonfunctional. I transported to Providence and proceeded here."

Sphere rumbled and shook then jumped out from being lodged into the wall, finally escaping and turning back on. He rolled over to Superboy.

"Hey, boy," Superboy weakly greeted.

Artemis gasped as the machine she was holding turned on, shooting a laser out and at the ground before turning off.

"The Pulse is worn off!" Robin and Wally exclaimed, glancing at the two motionless droids.

Jackie gasped and looked over at the two as well, noticing Red Tornado reach out to touch the female's finger. "Red, don't!" she warned.

Red froze when he was only a few inches from touching her. "Red?" Jackie questioned, concerned; he didn't touch the droid so why was he still? Did he deactivate?

The League member stood up before abruptly turning around and flying into the air, the tornado that was keeping him up swirling rapidly. Before any of the Team members could react, he lifted his arms midway and created more tornados, sucking the oxygen out of the air surrounding the teens.

Electra gasped and clutched her throat as she fell on her knees, looking to see Kaldur fall down right next to her, lying down and unconscious. Her mouth gaped as it tried to catch any air but choked when nothing entered her lungs. Her heart rate sped up as panic settled in the pit of her stomach. She fell on her knees before falling on her abdomen, not being able to cry out in pain from the impact. Her eyes slowly closed as her vision darkened as the last thing she saw was Artemis falling on her side and blacking out.

* * *

09: 54 EST.

"Electra! Electra, wake up!"

Jackie groaned, turning her head to the side, trying to get away from the booming voice as her head pounded against her skull. A hand shook her shoulder, being gentle, and she groaned again in response.

"Wake up, Electra!" Batman's voice rang out.

She gasped, opening her eyes and rapidly sitting up but cried out when pain shot through her abdomen. She clutched her eyes shut before placing a gentle hand on the wound and glanced up, seeing the Dark Knight himself knelt down with Robin right next to him. "W-What happened?" she asked, a little disoriented from blacking out.

"Red happened," Robin explained simply.

"Red," she muttered, furrowing her eyebrows as she struggled to remember. Her eyes lit up as remembrance of tonight's events came to. "R-Red. He attacked us."

"So we've been told," Batman stated before glancing at her wound, "you need treatment."

"I-I'll be fine. Can you help me stand?"

Both mentor and protégé shared a glance before standing and reaching their hands out to her. She grasped onto their hands before being pulled up, grunting and wincing when the action caused more pain to erupt. "Are you alright?" Batman asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Yes, for now, at least," she answered before glancing around, noticing a few League members helping the other teens.

Kaldur glanced over from looking at his mentor, sighing in relief and smiling softly at her. She smiled back, hiding her pain behind it and glanced over at Artemis, who just woke up.

"She's alright," Superman announced, helping her stand as she held her head, most likely feeling dizzy. "What happened here?"

" _What happened_?" the archer questioned back, disbelief visible in her tone. "The Reds happened! Tornado and his-!" She glanced around, stopping herself from yelling. "Wait, where are they?"

"Gone," Robin answered, turning to face her, "all three of them. _Gone_."

Jackie gaped, shock that Red left with his possible siblings; where did they go? Why did they run? Was Red the mole? But most importantly, who managed to turn Red Tornado into the villain?

* * *

 **Did the mole turn Red Tornado into a villain? Who were the other two robots? Will Jackie and Artemis become closer now that they both admitted to each other that they know Cheshire? Will Jackie reveal herself to Artemis? Is Jackie's burn as severe as it was made out to be?**

 **Author's note:** **Hey, beautiful people! I literally finished this chapter in two nights just for you all! How'd you like it? Sorry if it wasn't my best; I've been under the weather lately. :(**

* * *

 **Review time!**

 **Hey, Star. I know what you meant by your explanation, and I realized I meant to explain that I would work on creating a timeline or start writing a rough draft or even write out some more backstory for the MC and her family; not an outline 'cause I already know what's going to happen. Silly me. :D But I do have a question for you, Star: is this story supposed to be in coordination with the TV show (like what I'm doing right now) or is it just a 'creating my own storyline and not following a TV show' story? Also, do you have an Author name on here, so we could PM each other about this. Thanks! :D**

 **Hey, Taa. I know I can skip those dates but some of them I like to use because I like to show more backstory with my MC and show readers what her life is like besides the Team. Plus, I can create more of a bonding moment for her and her Team members. :) Also, thank you for your input on Jackie having an OC love interest. We'll just have to see, won't we? ;)**

 **Hey, Sunny. I'm sorry for the long wait. I've been pretty busy lately. :( I hope you liked this chapter though. :)**

 **Hey, Shana. I don't think I'm going to do your story request; I just don't know that much about Damian Wayne, but I am going to research him and spread the word of your story idea. :)**

 **Hey, Aura. I appreciate your input. I looked in the rules for reviews and I even googled it, but I couldn't find anything that said I couldn't review my own story. If you could tell me where to find something about that, I'll look it up, but I was only responding to the reviewers. :) Also, thank you for asking! My story's going pretty well. I'm a little behind and I'm not sure about this chapter. What did you think? :)**

 **Okay, so there were six Guest reviewers, so I'll answer them just as I do for each chapter:**

 **Hey, Guests (#1) and (#2). I appreciate both your inputs for Jackie's love interest to be an OC. We'll just have to see, won't we? ;)**

 **Hey, Guest (#3). I appreciate your input for "Couples ages" (that's how you put it :)) Also, to answer your questions: 1) Tony did teach Jackie hand-to-hand combat, possibly maybe a little Martial Arts, weapons, and markswoman but not any languages. 2) She does have some photo albums. She looks at them sometimes when she feels like she needs to remember her favorite childhood memories (which was rare for her to have favorites), but she always cut out her dad from the pictures; she only has pictures of her mom, her uncle, herself, even one of Jackson, and possibly some other characters I haven't introduced yet. Thanks for the story link too! :D**

 **Hey, Guest (#4). It is unknown what age Jade was when she started her assassin career. I wanted them to be close in age, so I just did some math and guessed an age for Jade based off of Jackie's age when they first met and went with it. Thanks for the input too. :)**

 **Hey, Guest (#5). Thank you for the link to the "Ask Greg" website. It didn't really help me for this chapter, but it might for future ones. :)**

 **Hey, Guest (#6). Now I understand what you're talking about with the stories you sent me. Silly me. :D I'm not going to "Copy and Paste" those stories because I don't want to get in trouble. Thank you though for your help. :)**

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 **Feel free to leave a review! Constructive criticism is welcomed and appreciated! :D**


	13. Chapter 13: Alpha Male

**Quick question:** **Hey, beautiful people! So before you start reading, I have a quick question to ask you. I'm curious to know whether or not I'm allowed to write another story, like this one, set in season one again. Am I allowed to do that? If you know the answer, please let me know either through PM or in the reviews. Thanks so much! Enjoy the story!**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** **I don't own Young Justice. I only own my OC's. All right go to their respective owners. :)**

* * *

Mount Justice

September 23rd, 06:34 EDT.

Flames.

Tidal Waves.

 _That_ was all Jackie saw; all that she dreamt of.

How could she not? She was burned, scorched, and crashed into by two dangerous elements just to save her friends. She paid the price to rescue them and suffered immensely because of it. She almost _died_.

Who wouldn't be scared after going through all of that? Who wouldn't be traumatized?

After all her hard work, all the lessons from her two friends, it was all wasted because of the attack. She couldn't go back in the water in fear that she'd see the Red robot, or some other predator. How was she going to recover? How was she going to be able to put, at least, one foot in the water again?

She whimpered, feeling her stomach ache as she sat across from Artemis and stared down at her hands. Her abdomen suffered from acute heat exposure, or, in other words, an intense third degree burn. Her back and left shoulder had slight exposure to heat but could be taken care of with Aloe Vera. Her thigh also needed the same treatment as her stomach but with a lower dosage. She needed to stay in bed and let it heal as she was given treatment and fed through a feeding tube in the Med-Bay; Batman had ordered her to do those things, but she decided she'd rather be around her Team and avoid sleeping for as long as possible; he was _not_ going to be happy when he saw her at the table.

"You should go back to the Med-Bay," Artemis whispered, frowning sympathetically, though it was hard to tell because of the dark emergency red lights.

"I'm fine," she insisted, a little bit bitterly as her pain intensified, "I want answers, just like you guys do."

Artemis sighed and nodded once, not bothering to pester her further, then glanced at Green Lantern, who created a crane out of his ring to put the new generator in place.

The lights turned back on, making Jackie wince as her eyelids shut close, reacting negatively to the light, before squinting as her eyes tried to readjust to them. Once she did, she glanced to her right as she felt Miss Martian place a hand on her shoulder.

The Martian squeezed her shoulder gently. "You really should go rest," she whispered.

Electra shook her head. "I'm done resting." Which was partially true; under Batman's strict orders, she did lye down to rest but every time she closed her eyes, she always saw the flames, the tidal waves and the two robots that went with them. She didn't sleep well at all, and now she was avoiding going back to dreamland for as long as she could.

M'gann pursed her lips but said nothing more, either believing that the eldest teen was too ill or just didn't want to talk.

"Synchronizing Cave security protocols with Watchtower mainframe," the computer announced.

Jackie sighed and looked over to her right when the sound of metal hit the table gently; Green Arrow set a bowl of brown chips in front of Wally on the table.

"Thanks but no thanks," Wally commented, sounding gloomy.

Wow. The speedster denied food? The eldest teen girl never thought she'd see that happen. "Last night really got to us," she thought and began massaging her sore neck, feeling it cramp up.

"Yeah," Robin agreed, gesturing to the speedster, "what we want are answers. About Red Tornado and his siblings."

"Exactly!" KF added on, exclaiming. Green Arrow narrowed his eyes before picking up the bowl and preparing to leave until the speedster snatched it from him. "Leave the bowl."

Jackie sighed again, this one sounding more exhausted than miserable, and glanced over at Black Canary, who walked over to them. Her breath hitched in her throat as she placed her elbow on the table, rested her cheek on her knuckle and looked away from her, knowing full well that she would drag her back to the Med-Bay if she saw the bags under her eyes and the redness in them.

"I can assure you," Canary started, "the League wants answers too, which is why we're doing everything we can to figure it out."

In nervousness, Electra tapped her foot, hoping her therapist would walk away and not even glance in her direction. Unfortunately, luck was not on her side at that given moment.

"Electra?" Canary called, making said-girl flinch. "Are you alright?"

The teen shrugged, wincing when her shoulder started to burn in response. "Yeah," she replied, trying to hide her nervous tone, as she stared at the Zeta-Tubes, "just wondering if the Zeta-Tubes are functional now."

Well, that was a stupid lie; she knew the tubes were functional! The power turned on already for Pete's sake! "They are operational," Canary answered, crossing her arms, "but you should know you're not allowed to leave until given proper treatment."

"Started on it last night and finished it this morning."

"So you're fully recovered then?"

"W-Well, I wouldn't say 'fully' exactly." Well, she was screwed. "But close to that."

Before her mentor could interrogate her further, Connor charged past her and headed straight for Kaldur, making Jackie stand up in alarm when she saw the angry scowl on his face.

"You knew?!" Connor exclaimed and shoved Kaldur away from the Dark Knight as he grasped onto his shirt, making the Atlantean grunt in surprise. "That android and his maniac family nearly killed M'gann!"

Electra immediately ran over to the two, wanting to stop Connor from hurting Kaldur, but M'gann beat her there by flying over to them.

"Connor, what are you doing?" the Martian girl asked in alarm and landed a few feet from her boyfriend.

"Let him go, Connor!" Jackie demanded, trying to push the angry clone away from the Atlantean.

The clone glared at Electra, who sent a glare back. "Kaldur knew we had a traitor among us and said nothing!"

Oh. That was what he was angry about. Jackie gaped and would have said something if Robin didn't beat her to it. "You knew?!" The Boy Wonder asked incredulously, glaring at the Atlantean.

"And didn't tell us?!" KF interjected, standing next to Robin.

"I sought to protect the Team from-" Kaldur tried to defend, not struggling to get out of Connor's grasp.

"Protect us from what?!" Artemis exclaimed, placing her hands on her hips, "Knowledge that might have saved our lives?!"

Oh great. Now the seventeen year old felt awful; she had been so concerned with the mole figuring out who she was when she should have been more concerned with her teammates protection. What kind of team player did that make her?

She was selfish, and Kaldur shouldn't be the only one paying the price for it. She had to make up for it, even if it meant losing her friends' trust. "Stop it!" she yelled, her head throbbing from her outburst. "Kaldur wasn't the only one who knew about the mole." Kaldur, as well as her other teammates, gaped at her in disbelief as their eyes widened. "I knew as well," she admitted, looking down at the floor in shame.

"Electra, why didn't you-" Kaldur started until he was interrupted.

"You knew, and you didn't say anything either?" Superboy bitterly interrupted, narrowing his eyes at her, making her step away from him in a bit of fear but keep her hands on both his and Kaldur's chest to push them apart.

"Connor, I-I wanted to say something, but I just couldn't."

"Why not?!" he roared, making her flinch and purse her lips, then looked back at a shocked M'gann. "You almost died!"

"Enough," Batman ordered, narrowing his eyes at Connor.

After a few moments of reluctance, Superboy stood down and shoved Kaldur away from him, letting him go. The Atlantean pushed Electra behind him, shielding her from their teammates.

"With Red Tornado missing the Team will now be overseen by rotating supervisors," the Dark Knight continued, changing the subject, and turned to look at Captain Marvel, "Captain Marvel has volunteered to take the first shift."

Even though Captain Marvel was her favorite superhero, that knowledge of him being so close to her didn't excite her as much since the overwhelming feeling of guilt spread through her abdomen, causing further stress on her wound.

"I'm really looking forward to hanging with you guys," Captain Marvel stated, smiling as he placed his hands on his hips, his white cape hanging off of his left shoulder.

Superboy glared over at Aqualad before muttering something under his breath so only the two of them could hear it. Jackie frowned and would have stopped him if Batman's stern glare didn't keep her in place.

"Red Tornado is a member of the Justice League," Batman interrupted, glaring as he walked up to Superboy and the two victims, "that makes him a _League_ responsibility. You _will_ leave it to us."

Electra nodded hesitantly, rubbing her arms then looking away when he glanced at her; she was in so much trouble now that she gave her presence away to him.

"I have another assignment for this team," he continued, gesturing to the screens that popped up, which showed news articles of the Gotham Mayor.

Jackie read the headlines, widening her eyes at the mission; it seemed ridiculous, almost like a pointless mission. Why would they go hunting for a gorilla that attacked Gotham's mayor when they could be doing more missions that were at their level; instead of at child's play.

"'Gotham Mayor attacked by Guerrilla Gorilla'?" Wally read aloud, incredulous with the choice of mission.

" _Was this the only thing he could find to distract us?_ " Superboy questioned towards M'gann through a telepathic link, which the seventeen year old accidently connected to.

"Batman, _please_!" Robin exclaimed incredulously, stepping towards him as his hold on his temper began shattering. "Tell me you're not sending us out on this _joke_ of a wild ape chase?"

"I never 'joke' about the mission," the Dark Knight retorted, glaring down at his protégé and making him widen his eyes before looking down as more silent anger radiated off of him. "I've checked the sources, I've studied the patterns. Mayor Hills' encounter is only the latest in a series of incidents." He turned to look at Kaldur. "Aqualad, you and your team will depart for India and check this out."

Aqualad nodded once in response then glanced at KF as he stopped in front of him. "Your team," the latter huffed and continued walking, most likely to the Bio-Ship.

Robin walked by Jackie, sending her a pained expression before following Wally to the ship. She sighed in response and pinched the bridge of her nose; it was going to be hard to get his trust back.

She looked up at Kaldur though, noting his saddened expression, and placed a hand on the Atlantean's shoulder and smiled sympathetically. He, in return, smiled sadly back, then sternly stared at her, making her take her hand back and scrunch her eyebrows in confusion. "What?" she asked.

"We need to talk later," he answered simply, not giving her any more than that as he followed his teammates to the ship. She pursed her lips and started to follow until Batman grabbed her upper arm, stopping her. She glanced up at him, noting the stern glare, and looked down.

Yep, she was in trouble.

* * *

06:38 EDT.

"I want to go with them," Jackie argued, waiting for Batman to finish creating her medicine.

"You're severely burned; you wouldn't last long in the jungle," he retorted, picking up a bottle and placing a syringe inside.

"I didn't think I'd last long in the Desert but look at me; I survived!"

"Maybe so," Canary retorted, sitting on the bedside, "but you didn't have any injuries then and now you do, so you need to stay here."

"That's not fair!"

"Life isn't fair," Batman retorted, taking the syringe out of the bottle once it was full with the medicine.

The teen groaned in frustration as she laid her head against the pillow and grasped onto the spare shirt Canary lent her from the Med-Bay, since hers was destroyed by the female robot. While she was tugging down her shirt, Canary checked her left shoulder for any sign of infection with the burn on it. "Please let me go with them! I'll be careful!"

"No," both mentors proclaimed in unison, making the teen hate her current situation even more.

"Here," Batman offered, walking over to stand next to her bedside and rolling her sleeve up, "this should help you sleep and take care of any pain you're experiencing."

Reluctantly, the teen girl let the Dark Knight stick the needle in her arm, it poking through her muscle and distributing the medicine into her system. Once distributed, he took the syringe out of her arm and took the offered gauze from Black Canary before taping that to the patient's arm. "Get some rest," he commanded gently, "I'll have someone check in every few hours."

"You're not going to check in?" she asked.

"No, I'll be looking into Red Tornado's whereabouts."

She nodded once and watched as he and Canary left the room, leaving her to rest. She sighed and threw the blanket off of her before standing up, feeling a bit dizzy from the medication. "Well, that was fast," she muttered, not expecting the medication to affect her so quickly, "I don't have a lot of time."

She stumbled over to the air shaft, figuring that would be wiser to use instead of walking out the door. She knelt down and pulled off the shaft, silently thanking whoever decided not to permanently reattach it, and climbed in. She grunted as she dragged her weight through the ventilation shaft, hoping no one would spot or hear her climbing through. She stopped at an intersection, looking down each way as she tried to remember the layout of the Cave. Unfortunately, she couldn't remember.

She sighed and decided to take her chances and turn left, knowing she was running out of time. She trudged down the vents, turning whatever direction she saw first. After a few minutes, she stopped and groaned in exhaustion as she rubbed her temples with her left hand. "Okay, I'm never going to find the Bio-Ship like this." She turned around and started crawling back. "I should just head back. I'm going to fall asleep if I stay-Ah!"

A scream escaped her mouth as she slid down the vent, forgetting about it when she crawled over it only a few moments ago. She grunted in pain when the slide tossed her against the metallic walls, causing her shoulder to flare-up as it banged against them.

A few moments passed before she fell against the ventilation shaft, it more secure than any other vent in the Cave. She groaned in pain and slowly pushed herself up, now feeling more exhausted than before. She sighed after a moment and stood up, struggling to do so, then looked up. She pursed her lips, annoyed with the fact that it would take longer to get back to the Med-Bay.

She sighed again; she wouldn't make it back to her bed in time before she passed out; she would need to crash in whatever room was below her.

She looked down before climbing the walls of the vent a little above the shaft then kicked it a few times before it detached and fell to the ground below. "Okay," she muttered, tensing as her palms began to sweat, "that's a long ways down. I'll have to fly down, so I don't break my legs." She exhaled, it sounding more like a pant. "I just hope I can."

She took a deep breath, silently counting down from three in her mind, before letting go. She grunted as her head hit the edge of the shaft then activated her flight, it effectively turning on. She smiled softly to herself as she landed on her feet, stumbling but relieved that the medication didn't affect her powers.

"Now I need to find a place to crash." She started to turn in a circle as she looked around for any signs of a couch but halted when her eyes landed on something better. "The Bio-Ship." She found it; she could go. The Team haven't left yet. It looked almost deserted. She could leave to go on the mission with the others.

She grinned and stumbled forward, making her way towards Miss Martian's ship. She climbed up the platform, it being a difficult task because of how exhausted she felt but succeeded in boarding. She sighed as she placed her hand on the alien ship's wall and used it as support as she made her way over to the backroom, figuring the Team wouldn't let her come with them if they saw her in this state. She stumbled into the room and sat-well, fell down beside the door that led to the front of the ship where the others were most likely waiting to take off.

She leaned her head against the wall then jumped when the wall began trembling behind her. She scrunched her eyebrows in confusion before raising them when she remembered that this ship was a living being. "Uh, hi, Bio-Ship," she greeted tiredly and smiled softly, "I-I'm sorry to intrude like this, but I just needed a place to sit down."

The wall ceased it's trembling as it unlocked the door that led to the main control room. "Oh! I-I can't go in there, Bio-Ship," Jackie informed as she leaned her head against the wall again, "you see, I'm not supposed to be here right now; I'm supposed to be resting, but I-I feel like I can't leave the Team to go out there alone in fear that they'd tear Aqualad apart because of something we're both to blame for."

A few moments of silence passed before the door to the main control room and the one that led to the hall locked. She smiled then jumped in shock when her body was lifted up by a chair the ship created underneath her. Seatbelts strapped around her, securing her. She smiled gratefully and closed her eyes. "Thank you, Bio-Ship." She shifted to sit on her side as she brought her legs up then underneath her. "Thank you."

Before passing out, the ship, in response, vibrated her chair, lulling her to sleep faster.

* * *

Northern India

21:36 IST

Jackie woke with a start as the Bio-Ship jolted, waking her. She panted in and out, grasping onto her straps as she glanced in every direction, looking for any sign of the twins; they weren't there. She sighed in relief and leaned back as she realized it was just a dream.

She jolted again, yelping a bit when she realized it was her chair. That was when realization hit her; the ship was trying to wake her up. "I'm up," she reported and patted the seat, "I'm up."

The chair unstrapped itself from her, making her stand up and lean against the wall. She smiled when the ship slowed and levitated downwards, telling her that they were in India. She patted the wall gently. "Thank you," she whispered.

The wall vibrated again before unlocking the backroom's door, letting her leave. "Uh, can I wait a few minutes?" She walked over to the door and leaned her ear up against it. "I want to wait until they leave, so they don't force me to stay behind."

The door, in response, locked again, keeping her in until further notice. "Thank you again," the teen muttered.

A few moments passed before the door unlocked again and opened. She stepped out, looking past the door to see the platform open and lowered to allow anyone to exit or enter the ship. She looked back into the storage room. "I know I asked a lot from you, and I promise to make it up to you. Just name your price and I'll pay."

Three beeping noises went off next to the backroom and the door nudged her gently, pushing her shoulder. "No offense, but you're going to have to tell M'gann to tell me what you want since I can't really understand you," the teen girl shamefully admitted.

The ship beeped again before Jackie walked towards the platform and knelt down, peeping out of it to see Aqualad, M'gann, Superboy, KF, and, surprisingly, Captain Marvel all grouped together with their backs towards the ship, telling her they had just jumped out. She smiled and quickly moved towards the platform, until it closed on her. "Hey! I haven't left!" she informed the ship, whom opened another entrance to the side. She walked over to it and noticed that this platform led her more into the bushes, giving her cover from the Team. She smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

The platform vibrated a little in response before stopping when the teen stumbled down it, still a little disoriented, and closed after she stepped off of it. She patted the ship one last time before crawling through the bushes, trying to remain out of sight. However, she stopped next to a tree when Connor's head tilted in her direction, giving her the impression that he heard her. Her breath hitched in her throat, and she closed her eyes, focusing her attention on her illusions as she tried to make herself appear to be a plant or some sort of wild animal.

She gasped when the bushes in front of her were pushed out of the way and abruptly looked up to see Connor's stern expression as he stared down at her. She pursed her lips and clenched her fists, waiting for his reaction as he looked up and down her before looking back. "It's just a rabbit," he informed and walked back over to the others, causing the bushes to whip back in place. She sighed in relief and crawled forward, keeping her illusion up, as she made her way out of the bushes and crouched a few feet away from the Team, believing if she stood, the illusion would disappear.

"As I was saying before," Aqualad repeated, glancing at her for a moment before turning his attention back to his Team. "switch to stealth and we'll review mission parameters."

"Parameters?" KF scoffed as he switched to his dark gray and red suit by touching the lightning bolt on his chest, "we don't need no stinkin' parameters."

"It's recon; we know what to do," Robin informed, glaring a bit as he and KF started to walk away together.

"Kid, Robin," Aqualad called, stepping forward.

"The three of us started this team because the Justice League was keeping secrets from _us_!" The Boy Wonder argued, turning back to face Kaldur.

Wally placed his goggles over his eyes. "Or did you forget that, like you forgot to tell us about the mole?!"

Jackie frowned; they were taking this really hard; she couldn't imagine how they would react towards her if they knew she was there with them.

Before Kaldur could stop the two youngest teens, they ran into the jungle, leaving the others where they were. Kaldur glared at the direction they left in before turning to Connor when he grabbed M'gann's arm.

"Come on. I'll keep you safe," Superboy stated but showed shock when his girlfriend retracted her arm from his grasp and glared. After a moment, he stuttered out, "I-I just want to protect you."

"Like Aqualad protected us?" Artemis asked incredulously, butting in on their private conversation, and poked his chest with her bow, "I'm not sure your protection or your _patronizing_ is good for our health." She pulled M'gann with her as they walked away from him and towards another direction in the jungle.

Connor stared after them for a second before turning his attention to Kaldur, who glanced at the two retreating teen girls. "Why didn't you stop them? You're supposed to be in charge!"

"I am-" Kaldur started before Superboy put up his hand, stopping him, and turned away from him then jumped in the air, using his powers to get away.

Jackie sighed in despair; it was worse than she thought. The Team was falling apart right before her eyes and there was nothing she could do because they wouldn't listen to her either.

"Um, did I miss the part where you actually said what the plan was?" Captain Marvel asked, a little confused as he looked at the Team's leader.

Aqualad sighed and began walking in another direction, opposite of where the rest of the Team wandered off to.

Electra sighed again and decided to follow, still using the illusion of a rabbit.

* * *

22: 06 IST.

They had been walking for almost thirty minutes, silence engulfing all three of them. Jackie would have revealed herself ten minutes after they left the Bio-Ship but decided against it, figuring Kaldur needed to think in silence for a while, just like she did.

It was her fault the Team was falling apart; she selfishly kept an important secret from them. She should have been more concerned with how keeping that _big_ of a secret would affect the Team and not have been so concerned about protecting her identity, but she failed them and they were paying the price for it.

She huffed and blinked when she hit something, bringing her back to reality. She looked up, noticing a yellow clad boot before moving her gaze upwards and staring into Captain Marvel's smiling eyes.

"Aw, how cute," he gushed, grinning at her, making a deep blush adorn her cheeks, "you lost, little one?"

She cleared her throat, embarrassed and wishing she had turned into something else besides an adorable white and fluffy little rabbit.

Aqualad walked up to the two of them, kneeling down next to Captain Marvel and observing her, making her blush deepen. He smiled softly. "I do not know much about animals on land," he stated and gently touched her cheek, making her flinch but allowed his action, "but I have never seen a creature as beautiful as this one."

She inhaled sharply, her breath hitching in her throat, as her eyes widened and her heart rate accelerated. She was for sure she was as red as a dark cherry now and glanced back at the trees behind her, thinking she should change into a different animal and continue following them to avoid any awkwardness.

"Wait." Captain Marvel scrunched his eyebrows in confusion as he stared down at her. "I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure rabbits aren't supposed to live in the jungle."

Oh no. She was doomed; she had changed into an animal that didn't belong in the jungle and was now caught. Hopefully, they would shrug it off and think nothing of it.

Aqualad hummed and began stroking her cheek with his forefinger, making her purse her lips in nervousness. "If rabbits don't belong in the jungle, then how did this one get here?"

The Captain shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe one of the hunters brought it here and it accidently got away?"

Well, that was offensive. She glared at him; he called her an 'it'. She was not an 'it', she was a female teen; a _girl_!

She huffed and crawled more towards Aqualad, not wanting Captain Marvel to pet her. Apparently, the Captain mistook her action.

"Aw, it likes you," the Captain gushed, pointing to her as she sat next to Kaldur's form.

"Yes," the Atlantean replied before moving to scratch behind her ear, making her widen her eyes in response before a pleasant sigh escaped her lips.

"Oh my gosh," she thought, a bit breathless, and leaned in to his touch as his delicate fingers softly scratched her. She hummed in pleasure and closed her eyes as a soft smile adorned her lips when he moved to her lobe, rubbing it gently. "This should not feel _so_ _good_."

"Aw, that's so cute. Look how it's closing it's eyes. It must really like you, Aqualad," Captain Marvel stated, smiling down at her.

"Yes, I see," he agreed, smiling, "I like _her_ too."

Jackie widened her eyes at that; he called her a 'her'. How did he know what gender she was?

"How do you know it's a girl?"

Aqualad took his hand back. "I figured she was a girl because of her light pink cheeks, but I could be mistaken," he admitted.

The teen girl sighed in relief before scooting closer to him and nudging his hand, wanting him to continue petting her, which she shouldn't want but couldn't resist the opportunity. He chuckled softly and began scratching her behind the ear again. She closed her eyes in pleasure and leaned into his touch more, loving his sweet actions.

She widened her eyes, however, when the feeling of his hot breath tickled her ear. "But I also know you're a girl because you came out of your illusion for a brief second when we arrived, _Electra_ ," he whispered.

He knew who she was? He knew she wasn't an actual rabbit? Why didn't she notice she changed out of her illusion before?

She gaped and blushed in embarrassment as she shot her eyes up to his, noting his amused ones. She opened her mouth to say something but no words would come out. What was she supposed to say? This was humiliating for her, and he probably would never forget this moment between them.

"Perhaps you should run back to your home," Kaldur offered, smirking in amusement, "and come back soon."

She nodded once and slowly backed away from him, locking her eyes with his, before turning around and crawling into some nearby bushes to relieve herself of her illusion. She waited there for a few moments as she watched Kaldur and Captain Marvel stand up then start walking away from her. She came out of the bushes and followed them, hoping he wouldn't tell Captain Marvel about her little trick.

She stopped, watching as the two of them stopped near some tracks. As the Captain knelt down and touched one of the paw prints, Jackie came out of hiding and walked over to the two, keeping her hands in her pockets as Kaldur smiled at her. "Hey," she greeted, startling Captain Marvel and causing him to whirl around in surprise. "Sorry, Captain."

He sighed in relief and smiled. "It's alright, miss?"

"Electra. Call me Electra."

He turned his attention back to the prints after grinning at her. "It's alright, Miss Electra." He then scrunched his eyebrows in confusion, stopping his investigation. "Wait. How did you get here? I don't recall seeing you onboard the ship."

She rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "I kind of snuck aboard."

"Why?"

"Because I knew no one would let me come if they knew I was onboard."

He sighed, this time in disappointment. "Batman's not going to be happy about this."

"Yeah," she sighed, "I know."

He nodded once in response before continuing his investigation of the prints.

Kaldur and Electra shared a glance before the former nodded once, and she sighed, understanding what he wanted. She set up a telepathic link between the two of them, leaving the Captain out of it.

"So?" she started telepathically, feeling humiliated and awkward.

"So?" he questioned back, smiling. "You can make yourself appear as an animal?"

She pursed her lips and gazed at the tracks on the ground. "Yep."

"And?"

"And what?"

"Was it your first time?"

She nodded. "Yes, it was my first time. I was actually afraid that I wasn't going to be able to create one."

"You did a good job."

She sighed in disappointment. "Clearly, I didn't if you saw me change."

"I knew because I saw you change out for a brief second before changing back."

She hummed. "Yeah, I'll work on it."

"Good." He crossed his arms and turned to face her, making her look back up at him. He smirked. "You also like to be scratched behind your ears?"

She gaped for a moment before looking away as a hot blush spread across her cheeks. "Uh, I don't know. I think it only works if I'm an animal; not a person."

He hummed in response and stepped closer to her, making her blush deepen and her eyes widen. Without her noticing, he reached forward and scratched her behind her ear, making her gasp softly and look up at him in surprise but didn't step away. As much as she wanted to resist, she closed her eyes softly and leaned into his touch. "It seems that you do," he whispered in her mind, making her hum in agreement. He chuckled softly and moved to her lobe, rubbing it. She moaned softly in pleasure as she let him explore her ear, the feeling desirable.

She squealed, however, when he reached behind her earlobe and flinched away from him as a tingly sensation moved across her ear. She grinned and rubbed her ear, trying to calm down the tingly feelings, as she looked up at Kaldur to see him in surprise at what he just witnessed her do.

"Are you alright?" he asked telepathically. "Did I hurt you?"

"What's wrong?" Captain Marvel asked, looking over his shoulder at them. "You two okay?"

"Y-Yes, we're fine," she replied then sheepishly smiled at the Captain, who turned his attention back to the prints afterwards.

She looked back over at Kaldur and shook her head slightly. "N-No, you didn't hurt me," she assured telepathically.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

He hummed. "Why did you do that then?"

She shrugged. "I-I guess I'm too sensitive there."

He nodded once, a small smirk adorning his lips as he raised an eyebrow at her in amusement. "Too sensitive?"

She widened her eyes, believing she knew what he was thinking, and took another step away from him. "Uh, Kaldur, don't."

He tilted his head as his smirk grew and took a step towards her. "Don't what, Electra?"

She gulped then jumped when Captain Marvel stood up and faced them. "I guess this is where Mayor Hills' 'monkey business' went down," the latter informed.

Kaldur frowned suddenly, forgetting Jackie as other thoughts troubled his mind. "So at least we confirmed his story, right?" Captain asked, scrunching his eyebrows in confusion as the Atlantean walked forward, staring at the jungle. "Aqualad?"

"My apologies, Captain," Aqualad apologized, turning back around to face the two of them. Electra walked over to them, believing it was safe for her to be closer to the Atlantean.

"I am plagued by doubts," he continued and looked down as Captain frowned and arched a confused brow, "perhaps I was wrong to withhold-"

Jackie whirled around when she heard loud thumping noises. The ground and trees around them shook as whatever was causing the thumping was getting closer. She looked up suddenly when the sound of an elephant's trumpet reached her ears and gaped at the sight of a large and monstrous dark gray elephant knocked over some trees as he charged at them.

Captain Marvel immediately sprung into action while the two teens stared in disbelief at the large animal. He punched it between the eyes, sending it backwards before it threw him off of it with it's trunk and into a tree.

Electra started to run over to help him until two hands pushed her in another direction, throwing her to the ground. She grunted in pain as she landed on her stomach but quickly sat up and turned around when she heard the sound of another large elephant step out into the same battlefield. She widened her eyes in fear as both elephants charged at Kaldur, trying to crush him.

She quickly sprung into action as she flew over to him, wanting to prevent him from getting trampled. Unfortunately, right as she was a few feet from him, he jumped to avoid getting stepped on but was smacked in the back and thrown towards her. She halted where she was but didn't have time to move as he collided with her. She grunted and landed harshly on her back, knocking the wind right out of her.

She groaned in pain and sat up, her vision trying to refocus as she stared at a light gray elephant. She widened her eyes and flew up in the air when it tried to crush her with it's ginormous foot. She grimaced at the near-death experience of being stepped on before flying out of the way as it tried to smack her with it's trunk. "And here I thought elephants were gentle creatures," she thought then flew around it to avoid any further attacks.

Right as she was about to activate a low dosage of her electricity to hopefully slow it down, she winced as the burn on her abdomen flared up and placed a gentle hand over it. She gasped and widened her eyes when her spare shirt had blood seeping through it; her collision with Kaldur must have triggered her injury to bleed out again. She whimpered as last night's pain came back as an agonizing reminder of what happened.

"Electra, move!" Aqualad ordered, snapping her back to reality.

She gasped and ducked at the last second when the light gray elephant tried to smack her with it's trunk again and flew over to the Atlantean, covering her stomach while doing so. She landed next to him as Captain Marvel rapidly charged at the dark gray elephant and rammed into it, knocking it back. She grimaced and covered her eyes when the impact from the elephant falling caused dirt to fly up at them. She then turned around abruptly when the ground shook beneath her feet and stared in shock as the light gray elephant smacked the Captain with it's trunk, sending him flying in the air.

As the elephant raised it's trunk in the air, Electra noticed the collar it was wearing was shortening out, shooting electrical sparks out of it. Her and Kaldur both shared a look before they both raced for it, trying to get to the collar to take it off. She tried to fly up to it, but gasped and quickly shot to the right as the elephant tried to smack her with it's trunk too, getting her farther from the collar. Aqualad took out his water-bearers, jumped as the animal tried to step on him and latched onto the collar. He yelled out as he used all of his strength to pull the collar from the animal's neck before effectively breaking it and tearing it off.

Jackie landed next to Aqualad as the collar landed beside him and the elephant stilled. It blinked a few times, as if it woke up, and turned from the two teenagers as it made it's way back into the jungle. She sighed in relief and smiled at Aqualad as he put away his water-bearers.

He smiled at her before turning around after hearing the dark gray elephant blow it's trunk as it tried to hit Captain Marvel. "Remove the collar!" he yelled out, cupping his hands next to his mouth to enhance his instruction.

"On it!" Captain Marvel yelled back and flew towards the collar after dodging the trunk of the animal. He punched the collar in half, effectively breaking it as it slid off the elephant's neck. The animal stepped on it after it slid off then blinked a few times and turned around to head back into the jungle as if nothing happened.

The Captain flew over to the two teens as they watched the elephants leave before grinning at Aqualad. "Pretty _sweet_ you figured out the problem was the collars."

Jackie crossed her arms as she narrowed her eyes at the animals. "But someone had to have put the collars on the animals."

Kaldur narrowed his eyes as well as the animals disappeared into the jungle. "The collars indicate intelligence behind this attack." He turned to Jackie. "The rest of the Team may also be at risk." He lifted his hand up to his comm and pressed down. "Team, report status." He winced then sighed. "Comm is jammed and Miss Martian failed to establish a telepathic link before we split up."

"Actually, you let everyone split up before communications were set," Captain Marvel pointed out, crossing his arms.

"They would not listen!" Kaldur defended.

"I guess but back at the Cave, Batman stopped everyone from arguing with one word."

The leader looked down, and Electra placed a hand on his shoulder. "Because Batman is _Batman_."

Captain chuckled, smiling. "Hey, you don't have to tell me. When I first joined the League, all he did was boss me around and it's hard not to take it personally, but I never disobeyed an order and that's probably what kept me alive."

Kaldur widened his eyes as realization struck him. "Batman takes command; he _has_ to, for the good of the League." He smiled at Captain. "Thank you for helping me understand."

The superhero pointed at his head. "Hey, Wisdom of Solomon."

"Now we need to somehow communicate with the Team," Aqualad stated and rested his chin in his hand, appearing in thought. "But how are we going to-" He glanced at Jackie, widening his eyes as an idea struck. "You can set up the link."

She widened her eyes in response and took her hand back; she knew she could talk to others telepathically but to set up a link between a group of them? She had no idea where to even start. "But I have never set up a link with a group before before."

"There's no harm in trying," Captain stated, smiling softly.

She crossed her arms and looked down. "The Team probably wouldn't even respond though; they're furious with me too for keeping the possibility of a mole a secret."

The Atlantean placed his hands on her shoulders, his touch gentle, and turned her to face him completely. He lifted her chin up with his fingers, and she gazed into his eyes. "I do not know what your intentions were for keeping that secret, but I do know that you would never do it selfishly; you protected the secret to protect someone you cared about; the Team _will_ understand that."

A small smile adorned her lips as she considered his words; he was right. She kept that secret to protect not only her identity, but her mother. Her mother's safety was the reason why she was so determined to discover who the mole was before they figured out who she was. She wasn't being selfish; she was concerned and set out to solve the problem before anything drastic happened. She nodded once. "Okay, I'll do it."

He smiled softly and squeezed her shoulder before releasing her chin and stepping away from her. "Then try to establish a link."

She exhaled deeply and closed her eyes, focusing her attention on her illusions and transferring that to telepathy. Sweat droplets formed on her forehead as she intensely concentrated all of her strength into reaching out to the others. She whimpered as she realized how great of a distance they were from where she was standing and how much pressure that placed on her body. She gasped as her strength started to deplete but sent a telepathic wave out, hoping M'gann would feel it and call her back instead of her attempting to connect with her mind.

A few moments passed before she gasped again as she felt M'gann touch her mind in response. "Electra?" the latter asked telepathically, sounding confused.

"M'gann, connect with Aqualad," she weakly sent back, "and take control of the link."

Electra gasped in relief as the weight of holding that link was lifted off of her mind and fell on her knees in exhaustion. "Aqualad, can you hear me?" M'gann asked in both her mind and Kaldur's.

"Yes, Miss Martian. Report," Kaldur responded, lifting his hand up to his temple and kneeling down next to Jackie.

"Artemis and I were attacked by animals wearing inhibitor collars, like those used on convicts at Belle Reve prison."

"Oh, I remember those," Electra weakly stated and rubbed her arms, "they were awful."

"Cool, the tiger!" Captain Marvel exclaimed excitedly. "I'll be right back!"

"Captain, wait!" Aqualad yelled out as Electra felt a rush of wind fly past her and looked over her shoulder to see Captain Marvel flying into the jungle, following the apparent tiger that she couldn't see from where she was. He rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath before turning his attention back to Jackie. "How do you feel?"

"Exhausted but good," she weakly replied, showing a small smile.

He smiled back before gazing downward when something caught his eye. His smile dropped and his eyes widened as he froze, almost in shock. She scrunched her eyebrows in confusion before glancing down at what he was staring at: her shirt. She pursed her lips and her eyes widened as more blood seeped through her dark blue t-shirt. She gulped; she hoped that because she was wearing a dark color, the blood wouldn't show but obviously she was wrong.

"When Batman told me what you were going through, I was not expecting something as severe as this," he whispered, sounding concerned.

"It's just a burn; I'm fine."

He narrowed his eyes. "You're not _fine_ if you're bleeding."

She glared back and stood up, feeling pain erupt in her abdomen. "Look, I'll get it checked out when we get back. Shouldn't we follow Captain Marvel?"

Aqualad sighed and stood up. "You can be very stubborn sometimes."

She shrugged in response and walked forward, taking off the spare jacket Canary gave her to and wrapped it around her torso to cut off further bleeding. As they walked, she glanced at Aqualad as he paced himself to stay beside her, making her smile at his concern.

"Miss Martian, I need a telepathic link up with the entire Team. Now," Aqualad telepathically ordered.

"Link established," Miss Martian replied telepathically.

"Should he _really_ still be giving us orders?" Artemis asked M'gann, knowing Aqualad could hear her. "And should you _really_ be following them?"

"Listen, please!" Kaldur begged.

"Guys, listen to him!" Electra exclaimed in the link, narrowing her eyes at their behavior.

"Oh good. Aqualad's voice in my head; I've so missed that," Wally sarcastically replied, ignoring both him and Electra, "And we now have Electra to nag at us too; just perfect."

"Nag? I don't nag!" Electra exclaimed, annoyed, "listen, you little-"

"Electra, please," Kaldur begged, sending her a stern look, "stay quiet."

She huffed and crossed her arms but obeyed despite the fact that she wanted to defend herself.

"Hey, Kaldur!" Robin exclaimed, "KF and I were attacked by giant vultures! 'Course since we're moles, you probably think we attacked ourselves."

"If he did, he wouldn't tell you," Artemis commented.

"Superboy, are you online or just pouting?" M'gann asked.

"Busy. Call back later," Connor replied simply.

Electra and Aqualad pushed through some abnormally large leaves hanging down from an immensely tall tree as the others continued to insult them, knowing full-well they were listening. The insults caused her heart to tear a little, it causing her to feel like she was back at her old school. Even though she knew the others were simply hurt by her and Kaldur's choice with the secret, it still enraged her that she couldn't fight back and defend them.

"What gets me is how nonchalant he is about not telling us," Wally stated as Jackie and Kaldur stopped in front of three metallic poles.

"Well, he should be chalant; _w_ _ay_ chalant; _e_ _xtremely_ chalant," Robin stated, "Electra should be the same but does she care and tell us? Nope."

Jackie pursed her lips and pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing as they continued with the insults and feeling her blood continue to boil. "Kaldur, I think I'm going to burst soon," she stated verbally as Kaldur knelt down to examine some tracks leading away from the poles.

"How can we be a team if they don't trust us with their secrets?" Artemis questioned.

"Or Connor doesn't trust us to take care of ourselves?" M'gann added on.

"Did they really think you or I could have been the mole?" Wally questioned, his question directed to Robin.

"We've known each other for years!" Robin exclaimed.

"Trust is a two-way street." Artemis stated.

"And you know they'd hate it if we'd kept secrets from them!" M'gann exclaimed.

"Not that we'd do that; never."

"Stop it!" Electra screeched.

"Enough!" Kaldur ordered and grasped onto one of the poles before tearing it out of the ground, causing electric sparks to shoot in every direction and making Jackie gasp in alarm at his sudden strength. "Captain Marvel has been captured, and we must act as a Team to save him."

Wally scoffed. "Under your leadership? I don't think s-"

"This is not up for debate!" Aqualad interrupted, making Jackie widen her eyes in surprise. "You all chose me to lead. When the mission is over and you wish to select a new leader, I will _happily_ step down. But until that time, _I_ _am_ in command here."

He threw down the pole and walked forward, silencing the others, including Electra as she stared at his back in shock for a good second before following her leader.

* * *

22: 56 IST

After exchanging coordinates with the others, Aqualad decided they would rendezvous at the half-way point to where Captain Marvel was being held.

Jackie licked her lips as the awkward air around them seemed to consume her; she hadn't said one word to him ever since he took charge. She was proud of him and because of that she should be praising him for his confidence, but she couldn't. It wasn't because she didn't want to; it was because she now felt small and intimidated by him, which was wrong but couldn't help feeling that way. How could someone start up a normal conversation with a normally calm and collected guy after they blew up in frustration? Her eyes then widened; if this was frustration, she couldn't imagine the explosion that would erupt from him if it was in anger.

"I want to apologize," he started, bringing her back to reality, "I know I startled you."

"No, you didn't," she lied and rubbed her arms, "you just took charge; that's a good thing."

"I know, but I also know you must have been alarmed by my change in behavior."

She shrugged. "I'll get over it."

"I can assure you that it is normally not so easy to anger me."

She smiled. "I know, Kaldur."

He smiled back before stopping in the middle of a clearing. "We should wait here for the others."

"You won't need to wait that long."

The two teens turned around, spotting Robin and KF push through a few bushes with Artemis and M'gann right behind them.

The four of them stopped in front of them, KF and Artemis crossing their arms while M'gann rubbed hers and Robin glared at the two. Electra, in response, crossed her arms too and glared but looked down, figuring her nasty attitude toward them wouldn't help get the mission done.

Aqualad stepped forward, crossing his arms as well as he stared at the others. "We need to discuss the plan."

All four glanced at each other, as if silently communicating with one another, before nodding in affirmation. "Then let's talk," Robin replied.

* * *

23:01 IST

Luckily, it didn't take long to go over what the plan was since Kaldur already had one in mind; the Team just had to play their parts.

They ran through the jungle, hearing the distant birds chirping and calling out in alarm as they dashed past. Sweat beaded down Jackie's forehead as the pain in her abdomen, thankfully, turned dull, and she was able to keep up with the others.

Soon, they slowed and crouched down as the tracks ended at a jungle infested and worn down building, possibly a lab judging by the shape and size of it. In front of it stood identical poles that were used to capture Captain Marvel, giving Jackie the hint that the place was guarded. She wiped the sweat off her brow and crawled closer to Aqualad since he ordered her to stay close to him during their rescue mission.

"I'll fly over," M'gann offered telepathically, staying in camouflage since her roll in the plan was to sneak in.

"Negatory," Kid Flash quickly responded, stopping her, "the field extends like a dome over the whole compound."

"Pylons are insulated," Robin reported, typing on his glove computer as he examined the force field, "but one good shock could cause a momentary gap."

A shock? Jackie could give that; she had electricity powers after all. "I'm on it. I'll shock the field and-"

"No," Kaldur interrupted her, sternly staring at her, "you are in no condition to use that much electricity."

"But I have electric powers! The field will go down quicker if I-"

"No, Electra, and that's my final answer."

She pursed her lips and looked down, glaring at her lap; he should let her go. _She_ had the electricity and could send a stronger shock than anyone else on the Team. _But_ he was the leader, and she had to follow his orders.

She looked back up at him when she felt a hand placed on her shoulder and smiled softly at Kaldur's pleading eyes. "I don't want you to get hurt," he whispered.

She nodded in response at him, assuring him it was alright, before he squeezed her shoulder gently and looked up at Artemis.

"I see a target!" the archer announced, stretching the bow string back as she readied to shoot her arrow.

"Be ready to hit the target," he instructed, "be ready, _all of you_."

As fast as he could, he dashed to the field and generated electricity from his hands. He then placed his hands on the dome, causing sparks to fly out of it, and struggled for a moment before distancing the placement of his hands, tearing a hole through the shield.

"Now!" KF exclaimed.

The sound of an arrow shooting past her made her glance up at Artemis before watching as the arrow shot through the shield and hit a switch next to the door, effectively turning off the shield. Kaldur stumbled backwards, releasing himself from the field, before glancing back at the others and beckoning them over. All five of them rushed forward, KF, of course, making it next to the leader first.

Jackie stopped, however, when she heard the Boy Wonder halt where he was a few feet from behind. She looked over to him, arching a curious brow, but he continued to stare up. She jumped when the sound of a monkey's call encompassed the area around them and glanced up in Robin's direction to see a baboon with an inhibitor collar around his neck. As the monkey screeched, the alarms blared around the building and more baboons raced off the roof of it before jumping down onto the teens.

Before she could react, a baboon jumped onto her, knocking her over. She landed harshly on her back and grasped onto the baboons arms as she lifted it off of her, wanting to protect her face and abdomen from getting torn open. It screeched at her, making her ears ring, and attempted to claw at her face. She growled at it before using a low dosage of electricity and shocking its arms. It jumped in alarm and struggled to get away from her, kicking its legs and wailing its arms as it tried to hit her. She let it go, and it scrambled away, but she watched it and noticed that the collar turned off, giving her the impression she overrode the system to it.

"Remove their collars!" Aqualad ordered.

She nodded once, giving herself a mission as she watched the baboon that attacked her try to run. She flew after it, grabbing it by the collar before using whatever strength she could muster and pulled the mind controlling collar in half. The baboon scrambled away from her, even more terrified, and disappeared into the jungle. She smiled, pleased that she was able to relieve the monkey from it's prison, and looked over at the others to see they had successfully taken care of the baboons that attacked them.

She then looked over to the door when she heard it slide open and widened her eyes as a large gorilla wearing a red beret hat and had a machine gun in its hands walked out. What the heck?! How did a gorilla get it's hands on a machine gun?! Who in their right mind would even give it one?!

The gorilla sniffed the air before grabbing at the air and seemingly throwing it down, revealing Miss Martian on the ground. Jackie flew over as soon as the animal pointed it's weapon at M'gann, intending to kill her, but stopped when KF sped past her.

"Get your paws off her, you darn dirty ape!" KF exclaimed and rammed into the gorilla then bounced off it as soon as he made contact with it.

He grunted as he slowed next to Jackie, and she rushed forward then, knowing it was her turn to save M'gann. She froze, however, when the gorilla picked up Kaldur and threw him at her, knocking her back onto the dirt. She grunted as her head collided with the ground first before her body caught up in pace and flipped her over. She quickly placed a hand over her stomach as she flipped onto it, grunting as a small amount of pain sparked from the impact.

"Are you alright?" Kaldur asked, getting off of her and turning Jackie back over.

She pursed her lips as pain spread across her abdomen but nodded and showed a fake smile. "I'm fine."

He pursed his lips in concern for a moment before nodding reluctantly and standing up, holding out a hand to her. She took his outstretched hand and stood up, feeling her burn flare up some more, including the one on her leg. "Miss Martian, if you would," he asked, gesturing to the gorilla as the Martian levitated upwards and away from it.

M'gann nodded and activated her telepathy before using it to throw the animal into the wall of the building, smashing into it and breaking it.

All six rushed in, turning to face what looked to be a technological advanced robot with a human brain trapped inside the dome on it's head. Jackie cringed at seeing it and almost gagged at the sight of how disturbing the thing looked.

"It's the Brain!" Wally exclaimed.

"Ugh! I can see it's a brain," Artemis dully pointed out.

"Not _a_ brain! _The_ Brain!"

"In the flesh, so to speak," The Brain stated, confirming Wally's accusation, in a rich French accent. He turned to his gorilla as it picked itself off the floor and it's gun. "Mallah."

The gorilla, or Mallah, took out a remote control and pressed a button, causing four more poles to rise above them. Before anyone could react, the poles automatically turned on, causing everyone to gasp and fall down as an invisible force forced them down. They all struggled to move but was immobile, or stuck, where they were.

"Miss Martian, Superboy, now!" Aqualad commanded telepathically.

Miss Martian swiped the remote from the gorilla's paws with her telepathy and flew it over to her. It stopped in front of her face and the remote beeped before turning off, causing the field surrounding them to dissipate.

They all stood up as the wall behind the gorilla blew out, causing Mallah to fall over. Jackie glanced up and watched as the dust vanished, revealing a disheveled Superboy with a large white wolf standing beside him. The wolf growled and dashed forward, knocking Mallah back over as it tried to stand back up.

While Kid Flash, Robin, Superboy, Artemis, and Miss Martian dealt with Mallah, Aqualad and Jackie fought with The Brain. She flew to avoid it's laser beams as she tried to find the right angle to throw an electric ball at it to override it's system and shut it down. Aqualad created a water shield as he tried to find an opening as well but ended up being pushed back as the constant lasers shot at them.

Electra created an electric ball in her hands and aimed at both Mallah and The Brain as they were both cornered by the Team. She glanced over at Aqualad to see him releasing Captain Marvel from his bonds, who released the tiger he had been chasing earlier from his inhibitor collar. All of them stood, surrounding the two villains as they prepared to fight.

The gorilla roared, possibly feeling extremely threatened by being cornered and glared at Superboy, who punched his fist into his hand. "Try it," the latter growled, "I hate monkeys."

The Brain sighed. "No, Mallah. This will not be our _Waterloo_." He extended metallic projections out of his small oval-shaped body, and they glowed a light red as a consistent ringing noise became louder as each second passed. " _Au revoir, mes amis_."

"Get down!" KF exclaimed, worry evident in his tone.

Jackie gasped but didn't have time to levitate down as the room darkened. After a brief second, the beeping stopped and the lights turned back on, revealing Mallah and The Brain gone. She scrunched her eyebrows in confusion and powered down her electricity as she glanced at the others.

"Wait. That big weapon thing was a light switch?" Wally asked, confused.

Electra shrugged and levitated down, landing next to Captain Marvel and the tiger.

* * *

23: 54 IST

After investigating the premises in search of the two villains for over thirty minutes, they came to the conclusion they had escaped. The Team headed back into the jungle in search of any animals with inhibitors collars on them to release and, thankfully, there weren't that many left so walked back to the Bio-Ship.

Jackie sat down on the platform of the Bio-Ship, observing the members of the Team as she felt it wasn't her place to join them in their conversations. She held back a laugh as KF placed the gorilla's beret on his head before swiping it off once Artemis had apparently said something to gross him out before walking away from him. Kaldur took off the last inhibitor collar off of a baboon before standing as the animal ran back into the jungle. Captain Marvel was kneeling next to the tiger and having a conversation with it before it ran off as he waved goodbye. She then looked over to Superboy, who was petting the white wolf and speaking to M'gann and smiling gently, apparently making up for his earlier behavior.

She smiled gently and brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them before placing her chin on them. She sighed; everything was returning back to normal for the Team, except for her though. She most likely lost their trust and would have to work to regain it.

She frowned and furrowed her brow as another thought came to mind; or, maybe she should just leave the Team. They'd be just fine without her; it's not like she was an important member of it anyway.

She nodded once to herself; she'd leave. As soon as they reached the Cave, she'd go to the Med-Bay, receive her lecture from Batman as well as her treatment. Once recovered, she'd leave and return her uniform to the Dark Knight. It was probably for the best anyway.

"Hey."

She glanced up, not moving her head from it's position on her knees, to see Robin standing in front of her. He gestured to the spot next to her. "Mind if I join you?" he asked.

Albeit hesitantly, she nodded once, allowing him to sit next to her. She knew what was coming; he probably wanted to admit how he felt about her keeping that secret from him. After all, they were close friends, and she hurt him, so he avoided her most of the night.

He sat down next to her, bringing his legs up to his chest, copying her position, and wrapped his arms around his knees. He kept his head up though. "So?" he started.

She shrugged in response, not in the mood to say anything to egg him to get what needed to say off his chest. He sighed and rubbed a hand through his disheveled hair. "Look," he started, "before I rant about how betrayed I feel about you keeping that secret from me, can you at least tell me what your reasoning was behind it?"

She sighed in despair and sat up, straightening her back, and glanced over at him. "I wanted to protect my identity," she answered telepathically, not wanting to verbally speak it in case Superboy might overhear. Right as he narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth, she continued, "To protect my mother."

He widened his eyes before softening them. "You wanted to protect your mother? Why didn't you tell me sooner? I could have helped you investigated!"

"I couldn't take the risk!" She glared before softening it and sighing again when she saw his pained expression from her outburst. "I-I'm the rookie, Robin. I've never been a hero before, so when I figured out the possibility that there was a mole on the Team, I had to shut everyone out and investigate quietly." She ran a hand through her hair, letting it fall in front of her eyes. "I had a lot of time to think about it at Belle Reve and realized I was wrong though." She pushed her hair out of the way and looked down. "I never meant to hurt you, or anyone on the Team, Robin. I'm really sorry."

He opened his mouth to say something but stopped when she continued, "You should know that after I receive treatment from Batman, I'm leaving the Team." He widened his eyes. "I'll return the uniform to him then I'm gone. You'll never have to see me again."

She straightened her legs out and would have stood if Robin didn't place a gentle hand on her shoulder, stopping her. She looked back at him with an expression of both guilt and confusion and waited for him to yell at her about his pain, but instead he pulled her into him and wrapped his arms around her. She widened her eyes in shock but hesitantly wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into the crook of his neck, taking in his sweet smell of the outdoors. "It's okay," he whispered, "I understand."

A tear escaped her eye as a wave of relief overcame her. She sighed into his neck, making him shiver, and pulled away. He smiled gently and squeezed her shoulder before staring forward when something caught his eye. She sent him a look of confusion before looking in the same direction and widening her eyes in fear as the other members of the Team stood around her, including Captain Marvel.

She sighed again, prepared for their outbursts as well, and stood up with the assistance from Robin. "Look, I know you're all upset with me but I-"

She gasped in shock as M'gann engulfed her in a tight hug, locking her hands behind her back. "It's okay, Electra," the Martian assured, "we heard everything."

She scrunched her eyebrows in confusion before widening her eyes and pushed M'gann away from her. "You read my thoughts?"

M'gann shook her head and smiled gently. "No, _you_ set up a link with all of us when you were explaining your reasoning to Robin."

The oldest teen felt her face heat up in embarrassment, mostly with the knowledge of not knowing she succeeded in setting up a link with everyone else. She placed her hands in her pockets, uncomfortable. "Oh."

"We understand why you did what you did," Artemis stated, smiling gently.

"And we're not mad," Robin added on, placing a hand on Electra's shoulder.

"But you should be!" she exclaimed. "I almost tore the Team apart!"

"'Tore apart'?" Kid Flash questioned and shook his head. "You didn't tear it apart. You may have lost out trust for a few short hours but tearing apart the Team? Nah, you didn't do that."

She stared in disbelief at all of them before setting her eyes on Connor, who nodded once in assurance that he understood too. She would have said something more until Robin cleared his throat.

"You know what I think?" Robin questioned, stepping forward. "I don't think you should leave the Team."

"I-"

"Agreed. All in favor of keeping Electra as a Team member?" Kid Wally asked and raised his right hand. She widened her eyes and glanced at all the other members, surprised that they raised their hands too, voting for her to stay.

"Well, I-" she tried to start.

"It's too late, Electra," Robin stated, smirking, and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "you've already been voted to stay on, so you have to now."

They wanted her back. She was forgiven for what she did. They still trusted her, which meant she could stay, and she didn't lose her friends. She sighed in relief and smiled. "Alright, I'll stay."

Each of them grinned, except for Superboy; he showed a small smirk but that was it.

Robin placed a hand on his hip and sternly stared at Aqualad, who stopped trying to enter the ship. "Now I need to know from you, Kaldur," he started, "why did you keep the mole intel a secret?"

Kaldur turned to face the others as they all waited for his response. He then looked back at Electra, who nodded once for him to answer, before turning his attention to his Team. "The source of the tip was Sportsmaster."

"What?" Artemis gasped in shock. "You can't trust _him_!"

"I do not," Aqualad stated, "it seemed possible, even likely that he was attempting to divide the Team with false information."

"And given how this mission went, he nearly succeeded," Robin interjected, "but you had to consider it might be true."

"Yes. As leader, I did. In which case, I did not wish to alert the traitor."

Robin sighed. "Hate to say it, but makes sense."

"I am still prepared to step down," Aqualad stated.

Wally smirked. "All in favor of keeping Aqualad as leader?"

The others, including Robin and Jackie, raised their hands, voting him to stay on. She smiled softly at him, relieved he would stay as leader.

He nodded once at Robin before glancing over at Captain Marvel as he walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Guess it's unanimous," the latter stated. He outstretched his hand, and the Atlantean shook it. "See you tomorrow."

"You're not coming back with us?" Aqualad asked as the Captain ran over to a clearing in the jungle.

"Nah, gotta fly." Captain Marvel took to the air, possibly heading home. Where that was? Jackie didn't know.

"So, what are you going to call him?" M'gann asked as her and Connor boarded the ship.

"What's wrong with Wolf?" he answered back with a question.

" _Generic_ , but acceptable," Wally inputted.

"So you snuck aboard?" Robin mused, smirking, as he walked alongside Jackie as they boarded the ship.

She smiled. "Yep, and I'm pretty sure Batman is going to kill me."

He cackled, mocking her poor decision making. "Want me to come with you, stowaway?" he teased, nudging her gently, and sat down in one of the seats.

She scoffed, grinning, and shook her head slightly as she sat down. "Thanks, but I think I can handle it, genius."

* * *

Mount Justice

05: 39 EST.

"Disobeying my orders, sneaking aboard the Bio-Ship, and fighting alongside the Team all the while injuring yourself further during the battle," Batman listed off, scolding her, as he paced in front of her bed in the Med-Bay.

Jackie pursed her lips as she listened to the scolding, not daring to say anything in fear that she would anger him further. When he first stormed into the Med-Bay, she could tell from the glare he emitted and the scowl on his face that she was in for a huge lecture.

However, she wasn't expecting the pacing. The way he paced seemed unnatural for him to do, unless he was pushed to the point of extreme stress. But this shouldn't be stressful for him; _he_ was scolding _her_ ; she should be the nervous one.

"Tell me, Electra, what did you gain from this stunt you pulled?" he asked, stopping in front of her bed, as his stern glare burned into her skull.

She shrugged, but slumped down when she realized that was a wrong move as his glare intensified after her action. She cleared her throat and glanced to the door before looking at him. "Well, I gained the trust of the Team again," she answered cautiously.

He softened his glare and sighed as he looked to the floor for a brief moment before looking back up at her. "That, you did, but you still put yourself at risk."

"I know, and I'll heal."

"Yes," he agreed before narrowing his eyes again, making her shift uncomfortably, "but your mother might not."

She arched a confused brow. "What do you mean?"

"Your mother has been worried sick for the past two weeks." He started pacing again. "Do you have any idea what the stunt you pulled will do to her once she hears about it?"

Her mother's been worried? About what? She was fine, her uncle was fine, and her ribs were healing so why was she so worried? "What is she worried about?"

He sighed again. "That's for her to tell you."

She groaned in frustration. "Fine, then she won't hear about my 'stunt'; just don't tell her and I won't either."

"She'll question why you haven't returned home."

"Well, I can already imagine you told her why I didn't home _last_ night."

"Yes, I told her you were burned and needed to stay overnight to make sure it didn't turn severe."

"Then tell her the reason why I'm staying longer is because I'm a slow healer; not because of what I did."

He stopped in front of her bed and sighed. "I'd be lying to her."

She blinked; he was concerned with lying to her? Why? It's not like it would be _that_ big of a deal, right? But then again, in the past when she brought up her mother to him, he would seem a bit nervous, maybe even anxious. Was it because of something more serious than a friendship? "Batman?"

He abruptly looked up at her. "What?"

"Do you care about her?"

He frowned. "Of course I care. Why wouldn't I?"

"No, I mean," she attempted to explain and sat up more, "do you care in a 'non-friendship' way?"

He widened his eyes abruptly and looked away, narrowing his eyes as he did so. He muttered something under his breath before glancing at the door, avoiding eye contact. "Get some rest. I'll have someone come _every hour_ to check up on you."

Before she could say anything more, he quickly left the room, leaving her to rest. She sighed in disappointment and laid down, being mindful of her bandaged abdomen, and brought the spare blanket she was given up to her chest as the lights in the room went out.

* * *

California

September 23rd, 7:30 PM.

Today was _the_ day.

It was _the_ night.

Finally, after being cooped up in jail for so long, Tony Holloway was about to escape. He was going to Gotham to see his ex-wife and daughter.

He sighed in content as the prisoner transport vehicle bounced him around as it drove towards Arkham, the feeling of knowing where his family was put him at ease after torturous years of not knowing. He would _finally_ be with his family again. He would _finally_ train Jackie. He would _finally_ be in control.

"Look at him," one of the guards commented, peaking his interest as he listened in, "he looks as if he _wants_ to go to Arkham. What criminal wants to go to Arkham?"

"The crazy ones," the other guard huffed, leaning back lazily as he cradled his gun in his lap.

"Harold, it's not normal," he whispered, "he shouldn't _want_ to go."

"You're being paranoid."

"I'm not paranoid!" He looked over at the prisoner, who sent him a cunning grin, and widened his eyes before looking back at his coworker. "Something's not right."

"Stop freaking out, Adam. We're fine."

"I'm telling you! Something's wrong! It's as if he has a plan!"

His coworker huffed in annoyance and loaded his gun. "Why are you giving the prisoner the satisfaction of believing that you're afraid of him, huh?" He gestured the gun to the prisoner. " _He's_ the prisoner. _We're_ the guards. We have a say in what happens; _we_ are in control, not the criminal."

"Not for long," Tony sneered, smirking.

Adam widened his eyes and held his gun tighter to his chest while Harold glared at Tony. "What are you talking about?" the latter questioned.

He chuckled deviously as the handcuffs on his wrists and ankles rattled as the vehicle bounced. "Nothing crazy."

Harold huffed again and gestured to him with his gun. "Listen very carefully, Tony; you're stuck here. You're not getting out for a long time."

"Really?" Tony tilted his head to the side. "Then why is this vehicle about to stop in three, two, one."

Harold and Adam both fell off their seats as the vehicle halted without warning. The former immediately stood up, grabbed his gun, and pointed it at the two doors that would open up the back. "Adam, get up!" he ordered.

Adam immediately complied and picked up his gun, his hands shaking in fear. "H-Harold?"

"If you try something, Tony," Harold threatened, ignoring his colleague's growing fear, "I swear I will shoot you."

"Oh, I can assure you I'm not the one that's going to be doing anything; my _friends_ will take care of it for me."

"Friends? What friends? You never got visitors at your old cell!"

"That's because my friends are dangerous criminals."

Two knocks sounded at the doors, causing Adam to tense up and Harold to raise his gun higher. "Who's there?" the latter called out, stone-faced as he glared at the doors.

"It's me," the driver, Brian, answered from the other side, "let me in."

The two shared a glance before Harold stepped forward. "Cover me," he whispered as he pushed himself against one of the doors and placed his hand on the handle.

Adam nodded and held his trembling gun higher as he stared straight at the doors. Harold nodded back, took a deep breath, and turned the handle then pushed it open as he pointed his gun at the intruder.

"Whoa! Whoa!" Brian held his hands up as his eyes widened in alarm. "Don't shoot! It's just me!"

Harold sighed in relief and lowered his gun then stepped to the side to let Brian in. "What are you doing, Brian? Aren't you supposed to be driving?"

Brian climbed in, grasping onto Harold's outstretched hand. "We blew a tire. I thought I should tell you."

"Well, thanks, but you could have just radioed us."

He shrugged. "I guess I didn't think about it." He glanced over at Tony. "How's our prisoner?"

He rolled his eyes. "Crazy. Can you go fix the tire now? We're supposed to be in Arkham in a few hours."

He scoffed. "I can't lift the vehicle up myself with all the added weight on board."

Harold sighed. "Fine, then I'll help you." He then pointed at Adam. "Stay with the prisoner and don't talk to him, got it?"

Adam, the younger guard, nodded and watched as the two jumped out before sitting back down. Once he glanced over at Tony and saw the smirk on his face, he pointed his gun at him. "Don't try anything."

"I thought you were ordered not to talk to me," Tony sneered.

The young guard huffed then whirled around to look at the door when he heard the sound of someone gurgling, almost choking. He cautiously stood up and stepped forward, keeping his gun pointed at the door. "Harold? Brian? Is everything okay out there?"

He jumped when something thudded against the vehicle before it dropped to the ground. He took another step forward and pushed one of the doors gently with his gun to open it slightly. He peeked his head out, looking for any sign of his colleagues.

As soon as did, he stared with widened eyes as a red thick liquid pooled over into his view. His breathing escalated as he watched the pool expand in size. "H-Harold," he called, his voice trembling, "are you alright?"

After a few moments of silence, he gulped and jumped down, landing on the asphalt street below him. He raised his gun up and cautiously walked forward, listening for anything out of the ordinary. "H-Harold, if this is some kind of prank, I swear I'll-"

He gasped as he turned the corner of the vehicle and gaped at how much blood there was. His eyes followed the trail of blood then settled on his colleague's unmoving and pale body. He gagged and turned the other way at the sight of the gash that reached five inches across his neck. His colleague's throat was slit, and he had a feeling Brian committed the crime.

He inhaled sharply when he saw blood out of the corner of his eye drop on his uniform. Slowly and hesitantly, he looked up, expecting Brian to jump down but was shocked to see another man, one he didn't recognize, crouching down on top of the vehicle and holding a blood-covered knife.

He sneered and jumped down, making Adam stumble back in alarm and raise his gun again, not realizing that it had lowered when he found Harold. The unidentified man slowly stood up as he bore his piercing eyes into his skull. "Hello," he greeted.

"W-Who are you? Where did you come from?" Adam questioned, clicking his gun.

He ran a hand through his hair. "My name is Cliff Brown; I owe Tony." He licked his lips, the upper strangely darker than the top.

"Where's Brian?"

He chuckled and inclined his head towards the driver's door. "One of my men shot him in the skull while he was driving. He was lucky; he didn't suffer or die slowly." He then nodded towards Harold's corpse. "Unlike him. Perhaps you will suffer the same way; I haven't decided yet."

"No." He pointed his gun at Cliff's chest. "You're under arrest, along with the rest of your crew."

Cliff sighed and lifted his wrist, checking his watch. "What a shame. We've wasted so much time talking that there isn't enough of it to kill you myself; one of my shooters will have to."

* * *

7: 36 PM.

Tony tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for Cliff to finish his mission. He was supposed to be out of these chains two minutes ago; why didn't Cliff do anything quickly?

The sound of guns shooting off caught his attention as he forcefully stopped his foot and glanced up at the two doors. He listened very carefully and hummed in pleasure when the sound of a dying man screaming reached his ears. The gunshots stopped after something fell, most likely a body, and waited a few moments in silence before someone started walking over to the two doors.

He smirked when the metallic doors were thrown open simultaneously and spotted his friend Cliff standing in the entrance. "Cliff, my boy, good to see you again."

Cliff jumped up into the vehicle and briskly walked over to him. "Sorry for being late," he apologized and started unlocking the cuffs with the key he took from the guards, "our pilot showed up late."

"Don't worry about it." Tony sighed in relief and massaged his sore wrist. "As long as I get what I want, I'll be fine with it."

Cliff smirked and took out a remote before pressing down on the first button, disabling the inhibitor collar that was given to Tony to disable his powers.

He then looked over at the doors as two men, most likely the shooters, climbed into the vehicle wearing the guard's uniforms. "Guess that's my cue." He touched his friend's shoulder, collecting his DNA, then shape-shifted, turning into him. He sat down in Tony's original seat and started cuffing his ankles. "There's a helicopter a good few miles west from here. The pilot will take you to where you'll be hiding out until the time comes when it's safe for you to leave."

"Is Lawrence going to be there?" he asked, referring to Sportsmaster, as he placed the collar around Clint's neck before activating it and giving the remote to the guard.

Cliff nodded. "Yeah, but he won't get there until after an hour you arrive; has a lot of 'Light business' to take care of, whatever that means."

Tony nodded once, pursing his lips, and walked to the doors. "Maybe I'll ask. Remember, don't break out until you receive a message from me."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Cliff started cuffing his wrists together. "Good luck out there."

"Luck?" He scoffed. "The only people that need 'luck' are my family; they're going to wish they hadn't left when I remind them why they couldn't leave in the first place."

* * *

 **Will Jackie heal quickly? Is there something going on between Kaldur and her? Will the Team ever find out if Red Tornado was the mole? Will her mother ever tell her about her father's transfer? When will her father come after her? What do you think will happen next?**

 **Author's note:** **Hey, beautiful people! Thank you for your reviews, for favorite/following me! Your responses really encouraged me to finish this chapter quickly, so you all could read it. Hopefully, you liked it. I really appreciate all of you. I love you, beautiful people!**

* * *

 **Review Time!**

 **Hey, Mana! Thank you so much for your review! Thank you for asking me about my next chapter. Hopefully, you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. :)**

 **Hey, Milk! I don't know if you knew, but I responded to your review already, but I'll go ahead and respond to it again. I'm hoping to update much faster now, but I am writing multiple stories at once, so it might be delayed. :(**

 **Hey, Shana! I responded to your review too, but I don't know if you saw it, so I'll respond to it again. Your idea is really good, and I wish I could write it, but I, unfortunately, don't know that much about Damian Wayne. Hopefully, someone will write it for you. :)**

 **Hey, 19-1037992! First, I got to say, that you have a cool username. I'm so glad you love my story. Hopefully, you liked this chapter after you read it. I will try to update the next one as fast as I can. :)**

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review! Constructive criticism is welcomed and appreciated. :)**


	14. Chapter 14: Surgery

**Hey, beautiful people! I'm sorry that this chapter is shorter than my other chapters, but I don't know that much about surgery :(. I only know what I researched online so I hope it's pretty accurate. Anyway, enjoy! :D**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: You all know I don't own Young Justice. :) I only own my OCs. I also own Harrick District; I made it up for the story. All rights go to their respective owners. :)**

* * *

Gotham Hospital

September 25th, 8:01 AM.

Skin grafting.

Batman told Jackie it was a necessary procedure for her to heal properly. He told her it was a surgery that would peel outer layers of the healthy pieces of her skin off and reattach them to her abdomen and leg to replace it. He told her the surgeons operating on her were professionals, and he trusted them.

He told her the surgery would be performed _today_.

Just the thought of going through that caused her to cringe and forced fear to settle inside her mind. What if she didn't like the way she looked after the surgery? Would she look the same? Would she even recognize herself? What if no one recognized her, not even her own mother? What if the surgeons accidentally created more problems for her wounds?

She let out a shaky breath and closed her eyes for a brief moment as she tried to calm herself down, but it didn't help that her worries and doubts constantly ran through her mind. She sighed in annoyance and pinched the bridge of her nose, wondering if anyone that went through the procedure was just as terrified as she was before they had it.

Her head turned at the sound of a door opening, and she smiled softly as soon as she saw her mother and uncle come into the hospital room she was placed in. "Mom," she whispered and reached over to her with her right hand.

Her mother rolled over to her and grasped onto her daughter's hand. "How are you feeling, sweetheart?"

The teen exhaled another shaky breath and looked away as her hands started trembling, fear clouding her mind. "Oh, baby," her mother sympathized, feeling her daughter tremble with fear, "it's going to alright, I promise."

"How do you know?" She looked back at her mother with tear-filled eyes. "I could look like a totally different person!"

"You won't look like a different person, Little Jackie," her uncle interjected, attempting to assure her, "the shape of your body might be a little thinner, but you won't look that different."

"Thinner? Or oddly shaped in weird places?"

"Jackie-" her mother started but was interrupted.

"What if I hate the way I look? What if I hate the shape of my body? What if I can't be a hero anymore because of the procedure? What if-"

"Jackie, that's enough," her mother sternly interrupted, making the teen silence herself. She sighed softly and squeezed her daughter's hand. "You are overthinking this, baby girl. All the surgeons are going to do is take some skin from your non-burned thigh and some from your back and reattach it to your abdomen and leg, so your burns can heal. They're not going to change your body completely. You'll still be a member on the Team."

The teen sniffled. "But I still don't want to do it."

"Because you're afraid?" Her mother started rubbing the back of her daughter's hand with her thumb to soothe her. "There is nothing to be afraid of, sweetie. This procedure isn't going to kill you, I promise."

Jackie forced a small smile on her lips as she stared at her two guardians. "Will you stay here until I come back from the operation?"

"Of course we will," her uncle answered, rubbing her head softly.

She sighed in relief but dropped the smile and widened her eyes, however, as she watched a nurse walk into the room and over to them. She gulped and squeezed her mother's hand tighter to assure herself she was going to be okay.

"Jackie Morris?" the Nurse asked, smiling gently.

"Um, yes?"

"Hi, my name is Danielle Richardson. I'm your Nurse and the one that's going to be taking you to the operating room."

"Hi," she greeted, smiling a fake smile.

The Nurse smiled back then picked up a clipboard at the end of the bed, reading over the information. "If it's alright, I'd like to ask you a few questions to get to know you a little better."

"Okay."

"What are you allergic to?"

"Uh, I'm not allergic to anything."

"Are you currently on any medication?"

"No."

"What medications have you taken in the past?"

"Just Ibuprofen but nothing prescribed by a doctor."

"Any past surgeries?"

"No-"

"Just a simple tooth extraction when she was five," her mother interrupted.

Jackie gaped at her mother. "I had surgery?"

"Yes, when you were five you broke your tooth, so I took you in to have it removed."

"I don't remember that."

Her mother smiled in amusement. "Well, you were five, sweetheart; you're not expected to remember."

"Oh."

"What medication did she take to help with the pain after the surgery?" the Nurse asked, getting back to the patient's medical history.

"Ibuprofen," her mother answered.

"Did a permanent tooth grow in it's place?"

"It did."

"What medical problems have you had in the past?" she asked, directing her attention to Jackie.

The teen shifted, uncomfortable; her father's abuse caused her limbs to have sharp shooting pains when she was younger, but she couldn't tell her that. "N-No medical problems."

"What about physical problems?"

"I broke my wrist when I was ten."

"What else?"

"That's it."

"I assume you haven't eaten anything before the surgery?"

"Yep. I haven't eaten anything since eleven last night."

"Did you drink anything?"

"No."

"Are you stressed?"

"Yes," her mother answered for her, "she's very stressed."

The Nurse nodded and walked over to the left side of the teen's bed and set the clipboard down on top of the end table then knelt down in front of it. "Okay, well then let's get your IV set up then I'll give you some Midazolam before the surgery."

"Midazolam?" the teen asked.

"It's a drug that'll relax you," Jennifer explained, "it won't hurt you. It's also called Versed."

"That's not what I'm worried about," she muttered then glanced over at the Nurse when she tapped her arm.

The Nurse handed her what looked to be a disposable shower cap. "Put this on, dear."

"Here," her uncle offered and took the cap from Jackie then helped her sit up. He gathered her long hair and put it up into a bun with the ponytail Jennifer gave him before placing the cap on her head.

"Thanks, Uncle Jim."

He smiled then helped her lay back down and crossed his arms. "How long will the surgery take?"

"That depends on how much skin she needs." The Nurse rolled over a tray with a syringe, a blue rubber strip, an IV catheter, an antiseptic wipe, blue disposable gloves, gauze, needles, tape, a bottle of Versed, and other medical supplies the teen couldn't name. "The surgery can take as long as two hours, but she'll still be unconscious afterwards."

"Are you putting her under with more Versed or is she going to be taking something else during the surgery?" her mother asked.

The Nurse walked over to a nearby sink and washed her hands. "The doctor wants to give her Propofol."

Jennifer smiled softly and nodded once. "That will put you under in less than thirty seconds," she whispered to her daughter.

Jackie smiled nervously, knowing her mother was just trying to comfort her, then watched as the Nurse turned off the faucet and walked back over to them.

Danielle smiled softly and put on her gloves. "How are you with needles, dear?"

"Uh, not good."

Danielle hummed and grabbed her left arm and flipped it over so the underside was showing. She then wrapped the blue rubber strip around the teen's upper arm, tying it close to her elbow. "Well, I can tell you that it's not scary; it's just a prick."

"O-Okay." Jackie squeezed her mother's hand tighter as her Nurse tapped on her arm, searching for a vein.

"Can you clench your fist, sweetie?"

Reluctantly, the patient clenched her fist, feeling the strip around her arm tighten.

After a moment, Danielle grabbed the wipe and opened the package to take it out. "I'm going to have to clean the vein, alright?"

She nodded and bit her bottom lip as she watched the Nurse wipe down the skin where her vein was sticking out.

After Danielle finished, she threw away the wipe and picked up the catheter then lowered it towards her skin. The teen looked away, feeling nauseous and faint. "Sweetie, are you okay?"

"I-I'm good. I just don't want to look at it," she replied, squeezing her mother's hand tighter.

A moment passed before she felt the needle pierce it's way into her skin, making her bite her lip tighter in fear. A whimper escaped her mouth, and she glanced down at her lap as the catheter dropped on her arm and the Nurse applied pressure with her thumb a few inches away from it. The blue strip fell off once Danielle untied it then felt the catheter rise up, as if standing, on her arm as more pressure was applied to it. Her heart rate escalated, and she took a glance at her arm to see her nurse pushing saline into the catheter. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on calming down her breathing, telling herself she was going to be fine.

"And we're done with the hard stuff," Danielle announced, taking out the saline bottle and placing it back on the tray, "now I just need to tape it in place, okay?"

The teen nodded hesitantly and glanced at her mother as she began rubbing her other hand. "Good job," the latter mouthed, smiling gently.

She then looked up at her uncle as he smiled and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. A small smile adorned her lips then frowned as she looked back at her Nurse when she taped the catheter and it's tubing on, keeping it in place.

Danielle grinned. "All done with the IV!"

Jackie nodded once and smiled at her "Thank you."

"Oh, don't thank me yet." She picked up a syringe and stuck it in the Versed bottle then pulled the end up, forcing medicine to enter into it. "I still have to give you Versed."

"Oh, right."

Danielle took out the syringe once it was full and attached it to the tube before pushing the medicine in. "Just so you know, you may feel a little loopy."

"Great," she mumbled, sarcasm clear in her tone, then looked up at the Nurse once the syringe was detached from the tube. She cleared her throat, preparing to speak up. "How long until the medicine-? Whoa."

The teen gasped as she felt an overwhelming sensation of relaxation overcome her. She blinked a few times, noticing her vision starting to blur, then rubbed her eyes, trying to clear it.

"I believe you just answered your own question, dear," the Nurse commented, rolling the tray a few feet away from the bed.

"What?" Jackie dropped her arm, feeling it bounce on the mattress once. "Why is my vision blurry?"

She listened as she heard her mother chuckle. "Because you're on medication, sweetheart."

"I know that!" She dropped her head back against the pillow, furrowing her eyebrows. "Can I go home now?"

"Nope." A hand was placed on her forehead, and she looked up and squinted her eyes as she tried to make out her uncle's silhouette. "You still have to have surgery."

"I didn't have it yet?"

He chuckled. "I think the medicine's getting to her."

"Oh yes." The Nurse raised the railings on her bed. "Which means we'll be heading to the operation room soon."

The teen pouted her bottom lip and glanced down, feeling sleepy. Then she looked up abruptly and gasped, feeling hazy. "Mom, I need to call Dick!"

Her mother chuckled. "Why do you need to call Dick?"

"To tell him I'm not going to be at school today!"

"I'm sure he'll figure it out once he doesn't see you at lunch, sweetheart."

"No, he'll worry! He'll try calling me!"

"Tell you what? If he calls your phone, I'll answer it and tell him you're having surgery done, alright?"

She nodded once and laid back down then blinked a few more times before feeling the corner of her lips tug upwards. A small giggle escaped her mouth, and she grinned then brought her right hand close to her when the Nurse placed something on her forefinger, it enclosing around her finger. She giggled some more when she noticed a red light shining from underneath it then dropped it back down on the bed.

"Sounds like someone's giggling," a high-pitched voice, which Jackie didn't recognize, commented next to her bed.

"Yep, which means it's time for surgery," her Nurse replied.

Her bed started moving, and she covered her eyes with her arm as her giggles turned into laughter. "Don't worry, Mom. We'll take good care of her," the Nurse assured above her, making her turn her head away from the loud voice.

She let her arm drop back to her side when someone moved it there and gazed up at the lights, squinting as they brightened then dimmed every few seconds. "Honey, don't stare at the lights," the high-pitched voice ordered gently, and she felt a hand move her head down.

A sliding sound reached her ears, and she looked forward to see a much larger room that had several bright lights beaming down at what looked to be another bed with arms. Her laughter reduced to giggling, and she looked up to see a big blur walk over to her.

"What did you give her?" a husky voice asked.

"Midazolam," her Nurse replied before lowering the rails on the bed.

"So you haven't given her Propofol yet?"

"Nope."

Two hands touched her shoulders before firmly holding onto them and pushing her up, then placed a hand behind her back to sit her up all the way. "Alright, let's get her on the table."

"That's a table?" the teen asked, bewildered as she stared at the blurred bed.

"Well, it's a bed, but we call it an operating table."

"Oh!" She grinned. "That's cool!"

A few chuckles, each one sounding different in pitch, reached her ears, making her look around as more blurs walked over to her. "Do you want to sit on it?" the husky voice asked, a smile clear in his tone.

"Yes!"

"Okay." Two hands took the blanket off of her. "Can you scoot yourself onto it?"

"I-I'll try."

With the help of others, she scooted herself onto the table until she was in the center. "Good job," the husky voice praised, making her smile softly. Another pair of hands were placed behind her head. "Now, let's lay down."

Slowly, she laid herself down and hit a soft pillow beneath her head. "Good, good," the husky voice praised, and she watched as someone stepped over to her side. They picked up the tube in her arm and twisted a syringe into it. "Now that you're hooked up, we're gonna distribute Propofol into your system, so you can fall asleep during the procedure, alright?"

She smiled a little wider. "Okay."

A moment passed before the blur standing next to her grabbed her other hand and held onto it. "Do you want to push in the Propofol?" the husky voice asked. "Do you think you'll be able to?"

"I think I can."

"Are you too dizzy?"

"Only a little. It's just that my vision is blurry."

"That's okay. Just place your hand on the plunger of the syringe." The hand placed her hand on the plastic syringe. "We'll do it together, alright?"

"Let's do it!"

A chuckle escaped the husky voice. "Oh, you're not going to remember any of this when you wake up." Fingers pushed hers down, so she was holding on tighter to the syringe. "On the count of three. One, two, three!"

The hand pushed hers down, making her push down the plunger of the syringe and causing medicine to enter her bloodstream. She groaned as the ceiling above her started spinning and a strange taste spread around her mouth. She licked-well, _tried_ to lick her bottom lip once it started feeling numb. A drowsy feeling overcame her, making her close her heavy eyelids and forced her to go into unconsciousness.

* * *

10:50 AM.

Jackie turned her head to the side, feeling drowsy, and opened her eyes but squinted them until they were able to readjust to the lights. She groaned as soon as she was able to refocus and brought her arm up to her forehead, feeling a wave of dizziness come over her.

"Jackie," her mother's voice called softly from behind her.

The teen dropped her hand and turned her head to the other side, facing her mother. Her mother smiled softly as she held her daughter's hand. "How are you feeling, sweetie?" she asked softly.

"Tired," she replied and furrowed her eyebrows, "is the surgery over?"

Her mother chuckled and began rubbing the back of her hand with her thumb. "It's all done, sweetheart. Do you remember anything?"

"No." She lifted her blanket and looked down at her stomach but couldn't see what had been done to it because of the hospital gown she was wearing. She dropped the blanket and looked back over at her mother. "Do I look different?"

"I'm not sure, honey. I can't check."

"Did the Doctor say the surgery was a success?"

"He said everything went according to plan." She squeezed her hand gently. "Nothing went wrong."

She hummed and exhaled deeply before looking around the room, noticing someone was missing. "Where's Uncle Jim?"

"He went to go eat something at the Cafeteria."

"Aren't you hungry?"

She smiled softly. "I ate an hour ago. We took shifts."

"Oh." She licked her lips softly to wet them before closing her eyes, feeling a little sleepy. "When will he be back?"

"Probably in the next few minutes. You can go back to sleep if you want to, sweetie."

"No, no. I don't need to-" A powerful wave of drowsiness overcame her, cutting her off and making her fall back asleep.

* * *

11:25 AM.

"Jackie. Jackie, wake up."

Said-teen groaned and turned her head away from the voice, wanting to go back to sleep.

A hand shook her shoulder, making her whimper. "Come on, Jackie. You have to wake up now."

She sighed and opened her eyes, noticing her dizziness reduced a bit, then squinted them until she readjusted to the blinding lights around her. Looking over to her left with tired eyes, she gaped slightly in surprise when she saw her friend sitting by her bedside. "Jade?" she questioned, her tone soft.

Jade smiled and squeezed her shoulder gently. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," she replied then frowned, "and annoyed that you woke me up."

"I had to make sure you were okay," the assassin defended, "you had surgery; some people _don't_ survive that."

She sighed and held out her hand to her friend, who hesitantly took it. "You know me, Jade; I'm a fighter."

"I know you are, but I had to be certain."

She smiled softly and squeezed her hand gently. "I'm going to be okay, Jade. The surgery went well."

Cheshire nodded once before sending her a stern glare, making her lean back a bit and raise a confused eyebrow. "Why did you even _have_ surgery? Was it because something happened on a mission?"

She scoffed and took her hand back. "I was protecting my Team members."

"By sacrificing yourself for them?" Jade shook her head. " _That_ will get you killed!"

"I was doing the right thing!" She glared back. " _That's_ what heroes do, Jade!"

The assassin softened her glare and looked away, staring at the wall on the other side of the room. Jackie let out a shaky breath and looked down at her chest, trying to fight off the tears that were forming in her eyes and repeating in her mind that pushing Robin out of the way was the right thing to do, even though it almost cost her her life.

"Why?" her friend questioned, her voice soft. "Why won't you listen to me?"

The seventeen year old looked back at her, feeling a tear fall out of her eyes. "Because I don't want to stay hidden in the shadows." She reached over and placed her hand over her friend's hand, feeling the glove covering it. "I _want_ to belong somewhere where I don't have to hide and cower away from dangerous situations; I want to overcome those situations and fight for myself and others. I _want_ to be myself, Jade."

The assassin sighed deeply and moved her hand on top of Jackie's then held onto it, feeling her squeeze back. "Even though I believe you should leave the Team, I support what you're doing; helping people, practicing your powers, and just being you."

The younger teen smiled then squeezed her hand gently. "Thanks, Jade." She then frowned and raised a curious eyebrow, a thought coming to her. "How did you know I was having surgery?"

"I returned to your apartment to talk, and I overheard your uncle in the kitchen talking on the phone with your mother about you." Jade then let go of her hand and placed hers in her lap. "But I didn't just come here to check on you." She leaned forward. "We need to talk about your Dad."

She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "What about him?"

"He was transferred to Arkham Asylum a few days ago."

"What?!" She gaped and widened her eyes. "Why?!"

"I'm not sure, but I think my Dad has something to do with it."

Jackie leaned back against her pillow and pinched the bridge of her nose as a long sigh escaped her lips. "I don't believe this."

"Well, believe it!" She stood up. "Your father is coming to Gotham City, and he could find you."

"What do you suggest I do?! Move?!" she yelled, exasperated as she leaned closer to Jade. "I can't move, Jade! I found friends here!"

"Well, you'll have to find new friends then!" She placed a hand on the railing of the bed and leaned in closer to Jackie. "My Dad must have recognized you in Taipei and told your father and was able to find a way to transfer him closer to you!"

She let out a cry of frustration and slammed her head back against the pillow. She shook her head, letting a few more tears fall. "Why is this happening to me?" she whispered.

Her Dad found her. He was coming to Gotham. He probably wanted revenge. He was going to hurt her and her Mom, again. He was going to force them back into a nightmare of pain, stress, and misery; they couldn't go through that again.

She looked back at Jade when she placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I don't know why this is happening to you, but I _do_ know that you and your mother have to move. You need to be safe."

She sighed and ran a shaky hand through her hair, letting every word that that Jade told her sink in. The only way to get away from her father was to run. She had to leave Gotham behind and start over somewhere with her mother. They would have to change their last names, again. They would have to find a new place to live, again. She would have to find new friends, again.

He knew she was on the Team too. Did that mean she would have to leave the Team to protect her identity and her mother?

She sighed again, this one sounding more tired than frustrated, then looked back at her friend. "I'll talk to my Mom."

"I hope you two make the right decision."

She nodded once and watched as Jade picked up her mask from the end table and walked back over to an open window, most likely the one she broke into to see her. "Hey," she called out, making her stop where she was, "I thought you should know that I found out Artemis is your sister."

The assassin tensed. "How did you know that?" she asked, her tone soft to hide her anger behind it.

"What?"

"How did you know?!" She whirled around, narrowing her eyes and plastering a scowl on her lips. "I never told you!"

"Artemis told me."

She softened her glare. "She wouldn't do that."

"She did once I told her that I knew you and that I thought of you as my sister."

Cheshire pursed her lips as her glare vanished from her eyes as a soft look replaced it. "Why would you tell her that?"

"I needed her help and the only way to give her the motivation to help me save the rest of the Team was to share that we were friends."

"So you connected with her on that?"

She smiled softly. "Yeah, we connected."

Jade let out a shaky breath and placed her hand on her hip. "You really think of me as a sister?"

"You're the closest thing I have to a sister."

A corner of her lip tugged upwards slightly. "Are you sure you're not high on Morphine?"

The teen grinned and let out a few giggles. "I feel fine, Jade."

The assassin let her smirk turn into a soft smile. "Well, I guess we both feel the same way then." She turned around and climbed up onto the window pane. "One more thing." She looked over her shoulder. "Don't do anything stupid for a while, alright?"

She scoffed, her grin widening, and glanced up at the ceiling. "No promises."

The sound of a window closing reached her ears, and she glanced over to see Jade was gone.

* * *

11:50 AM.

Jackie wanted to tell her mother about her father the moment she wheeled into the room but her Nurse and another Doctor walked in with her.

They both checked her vitals and the bandages to make sure she wasn't bleeding through then glanced at the door when Uncle Jim walked in. He smiled gently and strolled over to her bedside, watching as they checked on her.

A few minutes later, they both finished checking up on her and showed her how to distribute more morphine through her system by pressing a button on a remote control next to her. They then assured her they would be back in an hour or two to check up on her and give her some antibiotics.

Once they left, the teen turned to her mother, surprising herself that she could turn so quickly with the injuries she had. "Mom, we need to talk," she started, reaching for her hand.

Her mother held onto her daughter's hand and rolled closer to her bedside. "About what, sweetie? Are you in pain?"

"No." She pursed her lips, rethinking her response as her abdomen started throbbing. "Okay, yes. But that's not what I wanted to talk about."

"Then what is it?"

"It's about Dad."

Jennifer widened her eyes instantly at the mention of him then narrowed them, making the teen lean back a bit in both fear and surprise. "What about him? Has he tried contacting you?"

The seventeen year old scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. "Mom, what makes you think he would try contacting me?"

Her mother softened her glare and glanced at Jim, who scowled in her direction. "You _still_ haven't told her?" the latter asked bitterly but kept his voice low.

"What?" Jackie retracted her hand from her mother's and placed it next to her side. "What hasn't she told me?"

Her Mom sighed, sounding more worried than angry. "I'm sorry, Jackie, that I haven't told you this yet." She pinched the bridge of her nose, letting out another sigh. "Your father is being transferred to Arkham Asylum."

The teen gaped and leaned back against her pillow. Her mother knew that her father was being transferred. She knew he was going to be closer to them and didn't tell her, so she could prepare herself. Her mother kept important information from her; her father could have attacked her at school, and she wouldn't of been prepared! "Why didn't you tell me?" she softly asked, closing her eyes and letting a sinking feeling of betrayal overwhelm her.

"You were busy, sweetie; I didn't want you to worry while you were on a mission." She tried grabbing her daughter's hand, but she moved it away and placed it on her stomach then turned her head to look away from her. She sighed and shook her head slightly. "I'm sorry, honey."

"You know Dad is a danger to _all_ of us! I had every right to know, Mom!"

"I know, it's just-"

"No! You kept a very important secret from me! What if he broke out and kidnapped me?! I wouldn't of been prepared to fight back!"

"Honey,-"

"Don't 'honey'-" She turned to look back at her to glare and yell but stopped as soon as she saw herself sitting in the wheelchair. It wasn't just her, though; it was Electra sitting there and staring at her with guilt in her eyes and a frown on her lips. The real her knew right away that her illusions were activated, and they created her with the same look she had when she admitted to the Team that she was aware of the possibility of a mole.

She frowned and let out a disappointed sigh, not towards her mother, but towards herself. She was reacting the same way the rest of her teammates had when they found out that she knew of the mole. Her mother had kept the secret from her to protect her, just like her, and she was only making her feel like she was the traitor, like the Team had. "Okay," she whispered and ran a shaky hand through her hair, "I get it."

The illusion scrunched her eyebrows in confusion and sniffled. "What do you 'get', honey?" the soft spoken voice of her mother asked.

"I understand, Mom." She extended her hand towards her, who immediately grabbed onto her. "I understand why you kept that secret from me. You wanted to protect me. I would have done the same thing if I was in your shoes."

The illusion smiled, a tear falling from her eyes. "I'm sorry, honey. I shouldn't of withheld important information concerning your father from you."

"No, no. It's good that you did."

She tilted her head to the side and arched a curious brow. "What do you mean?"

"You were right." She squeezed her mother's hand. "If you told me about Dad, I would have been worried and concerned about our safety; I wouldn't of focused on any missions or during any training sessions. You did the right thing by not telling me."

She smiled wider. "I'm so glad you understand, honey."

She nodded once then glanced at her uncle. "I'm guessing you're not here because you wanted to visit?"

He shook his head slightly. "Your mother called to tell me about Tony and asked if I could come down to protect you two."

The teen smiled softly. "But don't get me wrong," he continued, "I'm glad I was given a reason to see you two again."

Jackie smiled wider then glanced back at her mother, noticing the illusion vanished. She frowned, a thought coming to her. "Does this mean we have to move, Mom? Because of Dad?"

Her mother shook her head. "No, baby. Your father most likely doesn't know we're here, so we're safe."

She sighed, feeling guilt settle in the pit of her stomach as she thought about the fight in Taipei. "Actually, he might."

* * *

Manhattan, New York.

September 25th, 8:30 PM.

Last time Tony was in the Harrick District of Manhattan, crime rate was like a small fire that the cops had to put out every few weeks. Now that several years had passed, it grew to become a wildfire that the cops couldn't tame.

He sniffed the air, taking in the pleasant smells of smoke, alcohol and chemical waste. The sweet sound of a woman's terrified scream reached his ears, making him hum in satisfaction. He was back in the first city he ever robbed, the city that no one could find him in.

He glanced over to his right, smirking at a run-down warehouse only ten meters away from where he stood. He recognized the peeled paint, the rusty doors, and the barred up windows instantly; it was his hide-out.

He walked over to the rusty door and shoved it open, grunting when it wouldn't budge at first. He stepped in and pushed the door, shutting it, then walked in further, eyeing the dimmed moonbeams peaking their way through the broken skylight.

He nodded as a smirk settled on his lips, the condition of the warehouse bringing back old memories.

 _Flashback:_

 _"_ That _is what I call a successful robbery, gentlemen," the leader of the group, Ricky, boasted, smirking at his crew as he stood on top of a crate._

 _The other members of the crew let out a few cheers, proud of their accomplishment._

 _"And I've got to say," Ricky continued, picking up a soda and opening it, "we wouldn't have gotten out of there tonight if it wasn't for our new member_ and _rookie Tony Holloway."_

 _Tony smirked and nodded at a few members who clapped his back in praise._ He _was the reason they had succeeded tonight; he deserved the attention._

 _"This boy surprised me tonight." Ricky scoffed, grinning. "I have never seen a nineteen year old boy kill without hesitation_ ; that _shows the criminal you truly are, Holloway. I'm proud of you."_

 _The members of the crew cheered, sending the nineteen year old praises left and right and silently assuring him that he was_ finally _a part of a criminal organization now; he wouldn't have to commit petty theft ever again._

 _"Guess I'm not the only one," a gruff voice echoed, causing all of the other members to quiet down and glance at each other._

 _Tony narrowed his eyes, knowing the gruff voice didn't belong to anyone in the group._

 _"Who said that?" Ricky asked, taking out his gun from his pocket. "Show yourself."_

 _The sound of footsteps reached their ears, making them turn around and pull out their guns when a lean yet muscular figure wearing a hockey mask stepped out the shadows. All of them, except Tony, aimed their guns at the intruder._

 _"Easy, boys," the trespasser continued, raising both of his hands in an attempt to show he wasn't dangerous, "I just want to talk to the kid."_

 _"Why?" Ricky asked, voicing the question on Tony's mind._

 _"I want to offer you a proposition." The intruder looked at Tony, slowly lowering his hands to his sides. "Something better than robbing banks all the time."_

 _Tony softened his glare as curiosity took over his features; what out there was better than robbing banks? "He's a part of our crew," Ricky stated, clicking his gun, "I suggest you leave before we-"_

 _"What's the proposition?" Tony asked, interrupting his leader._

 _"I have a client that wants me to kill someone with meta-human capabilities, much like yours."_

 _The nineteen year old widened his eyes; the only people that knew he was a meta-human was his brother and his deceased mother. How did this guy know?_

 _"Meta-human?" Ricky scoffed. "Tony ain't no meta-human!"_

 _"More jobs will be available to you and you'll be paid more than the amount you're already receiving. You'll be seen as one of the world's most deadliest assassins," the intruder continued, ignoring the leader._

 _Tony pursed his lips, considering his the trespasser's words. If he helped, he would be climbing his way up the crime ladder. He would get better pay and more job opportunities; how could he not resist? He smirked at the trespasser and nodded once, signaling to him he wanted in. His new partner nodded back before taking out a fencing sword, and the teen turned on his electricity, preparing to kill his former team._

That day was the day he met Lawrence, who went by the name Sportsmaster. They became good friends, went on several missions together, and learned the other's fighting techniques; Tony learned he didn't know _nearly_ as much as Lawrence did.

"Well, if it isn't the kid himself," Sportsmaster's gruff voice echoed around the room, "reminds you of how we first met, huh?"

Tony glanced over his shoulder, spotting his friend stepping out of the shadows. "I'm a bit surprised," he admitted and turned around to face him, "I didn't expect you wanted to meet here."

"No one else knows that we met here; it's the perfect hideout." He crossed his arms. "You're late, though."

"I had a slow pilot." He placed his hands in his pockets. "Speaking of tardiness, Clint told me you were supposed to be late because of some 'Light business'? What's that about?"

"Something I'm considering letting you be my partner for, but I have to convince the other members first."

"It'd be good to get back out there again." He arched a curious brow and glanced around the room, remembering a power box was located somewhere. "So this is where I'm staying for a while until the time comes for me to see my daughter?"

Lawrence nodded. "For the time being."

He nodded once. "Are you staying here too?"

"No, I have more 'Light business' to deal with, so I won't be back for the next few days."

"Will you have an answer for me then?" He took his hands out of his pockets and activated a bit of his electricity to create a small ball in the palm of his hand. "If I'm your partner or not?"

"Not likely."

He hummed and levitated the ball in the air as he walked around searching for the power box, walking away from Lawrence. "Then I await your return."

"You won't be seeing your family when I come back, you know."

"I know." Once he found the power box, he opened it up and flicked the electric ball inside of it. The lights above them flickered before illuminating the room, chasing away the darkness. "I'm a very patient man when it comes to getting what I want."

* * *

 **When will Tony go visit his family? What does he have in store for Jackie? Will he be accepted to be a part of the Light? Will Jackie not recognize herself when she's able to take off the bandages? Will she and her mother have to move?**

 **Author's note:** **Hey, beautiful people! What did you think of the chapter?**

 **A quick question for you beautiful people:** **Do you all remember the TV show Danny Phantom? How would you feel if I posted a story about his older sister Winter Fenton (an OC I created) and her story of how she became a Halfa but became a villain instead? Do you want to read a story like that? Thanks! :)**

 **Also, I have an announcement! I currently have a poll up if anyone wants to vote on it. I really want to know if you would like to read a story (not the Danny Phantom story) I wrote or if I should publish it on Wattpad. Thanks! :)**

* * *

 **Review time!**

 **Hey, Star. Listen, I have a lot on my plate right now, so I won't be able to write your story. :( I'm sure there are other writers on here that would love to write it. Thank you for sharing your idea with me; it's very creative and sounds awesome! When you find someone that will write your story for you will you let me know so I can read it? :)**

 **Hey, Pj. Thank you for your review and responding to my question I asked in the last chapter. I really appreciate it. :)**

 **Hey, Sunburst. Thank you for your review. I really appreciate it. :)**

 **Hey, Aiden. Thank you for your review. I'm not going to create Aiden as an OC but thank you for your idea. :)**

 **Hey, 19-1037992. Thank you for your review. I'm glad you loved my chapter and I hope you liked this one. :)**

 **There were six Guest reviewers, so I'll label you as I usually do:**

 **Hey, Guest (#1). Thank you for your review. I appreciate it. :)**

 **Hey, Guest (#2). Thank you for your ideas! I might use them, but I don't know. I really appreciate your review. :)**

 **Hey, Guest (#3). Thank you for your review. I created a poll if you want to go vote on it. I'm most likely going to make some more in the near future. :)**

 **Hey, Guest (#4). Thank you for your review. Jennifer is a Nurse at Gotham City Hospital. She works the night shift, like Kyle, so she sees him often. :)**

 **Hey, Guest (#5). Thank you for your review. I'm sorry it took so long to update and that this chapter is so short. I have a lot on my plate right now so the next update probably won't be for a while (sighs sadly and wishes there was more time in the world :( ). I hope you enjoyed this chapter. :)**

 **Hey, Guest (#6). Thank you for your review. To answer your question, Jim was a police officer a few years ago but that ended as soon as he figured out about Tony abusing his niece and sister-in-law. He couldn't get any proof that Tony was doing this to them since he hardly let them leave, except for schooling and Jennifer's work. They were also too afraid to report him to the police until Jim convinced them otherwise (which took a long time). Basically, Jackie and Jennifer's accusations of Tony were all that he had for evidence against his brother. :)**

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed it! Please review! Constructive criticism is welcomed and appreciated! :D**


	15. Chapter 15: Revelation

**Disclaimer:** **I don't own Young Justice. I only own my OC. All rights go to their respective owners. :)**

* * *

Gotham City Hospital

October 1st, 7:30 AM.

The doctor told Jackie a week ago that healing from a skin-grafting surgery would take one to three weeks. With the severity of her burns, he predicted she would take three weeks to heal. Everyone thought that her healing process wouldn't be quick; they didn't even think she would be able to walk after a week. But she surprised them; she walked, dressed herself, bathed herself without reopening her stitches, and managed to swallow soft foods without getting sick; the doctor instructed her not to eat any solid foods for at least another two weeks though.

"Are you sure you should be leaving?" Jim asked, picking up Jackie's duffel bag after she finished packing it, then glanced over at the teen, who just finished donning her casual attire over her uniform.

"Uncle Jim, I'll be fine," Jackie assured and checked in the mirror to make sure her uniform wasn't visible, "the doctor said I could check out of the hospital, remember?"

"I'm not saying you're not well enough to go home 'cause you are." He slung the duffel bag over his shoulder and walked over to her. "What I'm saying is I don't think you're ready to go to the Cave."

"I'm just going to see the Team." She smiled at him as she stuffed her mask and gloves in her jacket pocket. "I want to know if I missed anything while I was recovering."

He sighed. "As long as you're not going on any missions."

She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Relax, Uncle Jim, I just want to talk to them, which means I won't be going on any missions, stakeouts, or doing anything involving strenuous activities, okay?"

He nodded once and smiled softly at her. "Okay."

She squeezed his shoulder before bending over to pick up her backpack and put it on, grunting when her stomach throbbed a bit from the movement. "You okay?" her uncle asked, concern lacing his tone.

"Yeah." She cleared her throat and straightened her posture. "Let's go."

* * *

Gotham City

8:04 AM.

Who knew how much Jackie would miss walking up the rotting steps of her apartment building? Or how the smell of cigarettes made her feel a sense of relief that she was finally home? She never expected how much she would miss walking back to the apartment, even though it wasn't that great of an apartment.

Jim walked up to the front door and took out his keys, them clanging against each other at his movements, and stuck one of the keys in the lock. He turned the key, hearing it click, then turned the handle and opened the door, holding it open for Jackie to walk in.

"Thanks, Uncle Jim."

He nodded once and waited until she entered the room before closing and locking the door behind him. He then grabbed onto her backpack she was wearing, and she sent him a confused look. "Let me take your bags in your room," he answered her confused expression, and she nodded as she let him take her backpack from her then walk in her room to put her bags down.

She waited in the living room, rubbing her arms to help her ignore the throbbing pain in her abdomen. She glanced around, wanting to distract herself, before setting her sight on an envelope on the coffee table. Curious, she walked over to it then bent over, feeling her stomach throb, and picked it up. What she noticed first was the large bold letters that spelled out her name on the front of it.

She hummed then glanced up. "Mom, are you home?" she asked, yelling a bit so her voice could travel to the other rooms.

"Yes, honey," her mother called back then wheeled into the living room, looking worried, "is something wrong? Are you okay?"

She held up the envelope, showing it to her. "Do you know who this is from?"

Her mother smiled softly as her worried eyes softened. "Robin dropped it off."

The teen smiled then turned over the envelope and opened it, pulling out a small get well card, making her smile widen. "How thoughtful," she muttered then opened it, noticing that the other members of the Team signed it and left her a small note.

"What is it?" Jennifer wheeled over to her. "What did he leave you?"

"It's a get well card." Her eyes trailed across the notes they left her, reading them. "The whole Team signed it and even left a note."

"That is so sweet. What did they say?"

Jackie sat down on the couch and turned to face her mother as she read the card. "They just told me to get some rest and to feel better." She smiled a little wider. "Except Robin did invite me to come to the Cave; he thinks it's just going to be a casual Friday, which means no missions."

Her mother sighed in relief. "That makes me feel so much better with you leaving."

The teen nodded once before glancing over at Uncle Jim as he strolled back into the living room but stopped in front of her doorway. He crossed his arms. "So when are you leaving?"

"Right now."

"Are you sure?" He gestured to the kitchen. "Maybe you should eat before you go."

"Uncle Jim, I ate at the hospital an hour ago." She placed the card back in the envelope. "I'll be fine."

He nodded once and hesitantly stepped out of her way, allowing her entrance to her room. "Then have fun and don't do anything that could cause harm to your body."

Jackie smiled softly at him and stood up on her toes to kiss him on the cheek. "I won't. I promise."

She then hugged her mother goodbye before walking to her bedroom, changing out of her casual clothes and flying out of her bedroom window, relieved she could still use her powers.

* * *

Mount Justice

18:13 EDT.

"Recognized: Electra: B-0-8," the computer announced, brightening the Zeta-Tube as Jackie walked through. She squinted her eyes until the lights died down, forgetting that that would happen once she walked through.

Once her eyes readjusted, she glanced up as soon as she heard Robin let out a short battle cry and watched in surprise as he tried to kick Aqualad. She frowned, wishing she could spar with the Boy Wonder; she favored sparring with him during training sessions because it was like a contest between the two of them. Still, she smiled, not wanting to worry them, and walked forward, alerting them of her presence.

"Electra!" Robin exclaimed, grinning, but frowned and performed a back handspring when Kaldur tried to punch him.

She chuckled and nodded once at Zatara and Captain Marvel, who were both observing the match on the other side of the circle, as a show of respect. Zatara smiled and nodded back while Captain Marvel waved. "Welcome back, Electra," the latter greeted, causing a few crumbs to fall out of his mouth from the granola bar he was holding.

She smiled then glanced back at the other two teens when she heard a sandal slide across the floor, sounding a squeak, and watched as the two straightened up, seemingly done fighting. She applauded as the light from the circle died down and walked over to them. "Very impressive, boys. You both seem to be evenly matched."

"'Evenly matched'?" Robin scoffed and smirked as he pointed a thumb at Aqualad. "I was going easy on him."

Electra smirked and crossed her arms. "Doubt it, Genius."

He smirked wider. "I'm sorry but _who_ beat you during most of our sparring matches?"

"You cheated, and you know it, Genius."

"Alright, alright," Kaldur interjected, placing a hand on both Robin's and Jackie's shoulder, smiling in amusement, "you both are very skilled in combat."

She smiled. "Thanks, Kaldur."

He nodded once then took his hands back. "How are you feeling?"

She shrugged. "I'm doing alright. The surgery went better than expected."

Robin smiled. "Good to hear."

She nodded then peered forward when she saw M'gann and Superboy walk into the room, smiling flirtatiously at each other, with Wolf. She smiled softly, pleased that M'gann and Superboy were still in a relationship after what happened on the last mission.

"You know they're a couple, right?" Robin whispered, holding his hand up to the side of his mouth and leaning in closer to them.

"I believe I knew before they did," Kaldur whispered back, smiling.

"So did I," Jackie whispered too, smiling wider when she saw M'gann shrug as she stared into Conner's eyes, giving her the idea that they were telepathically communicating.

When the sound of approaching footsteps reached her ears, she turned around and spotted Artemis and Wally wearing casual clothes too as they walked into the room. Her eyes widened instantly, recognizing her as Artemis from her school. She bit her lip, unsure of what to do, and glanced over at Captain Marvel, watching as he chewed on his granola bar.

"Do we tell them?" Robin questioned.

"It is not our place," Aqualad quickly answered, his tone stern.

"Well look who's back." A hand was placed on her shoulder, making her turn to look at the speedster. He grinned and hugged her gently, catching her off-guard for a moment, but she hesitantly hugged him back then stepped out of his hold. "How are you feeling?"

"Good. The surgery went better than expected."

The speedster nodded once before being pushed to the side by Artemis. "Hey!"

"You're not the only one that wants to see Electra." The archer hugged her too. "I'm glad the surgery went well."

Before Artemis could pull away, a thought came to Jackie, causing her to pull her back in and startle her a bit. "We need to talk about Jade later," the latter whispered into her ear. Artemis widened her eyes and pulled back then nodded once at the older teen.

KF pursed his lips, narrowed his eyes, and pointed at Captain Marvel on the other side of the room. "So if Zatara's our babysitter for the week, why is he still here? And why is he eating my snacks?!"

"Recognized: Batman: 0-2," the computer announced as a bright light flashed and said-hero walked through the Zeta-Tube.

"Computer, National News," Batman ordered, walking toward the group of teenagers.

Instantly, a screen pulled up, showing the famous Cat Grant, who looked in distress, as she held a microphone up to her. "The initial attack was short-lived," she reported as the screen pulled up a video of a giant plant sprouted from the ground and wrapping around a building before crushing it, making Jackie cover her mouth in shock, "but Metropolis was only granted a short reprieve." The screen then showed video of Superman and other members of the Justice League attempting to fight off the giant plant. "And despite the interventions of Superman _and_ the Justice League, there seems to be no end in sight."

"Should we get out there?" Robin questioned.

Batman turned to the teens as the news report paused. He glanced once at Jackie, who smiled softly at him, before addressing Robin's question. "No. The League will soon have the situation under control; that's not why I'm here." He brought up a picture of Sportsmaster. "According to your intel, Sportsmaster supplied Cadmus Blockbuster formula to Kobra."

"What's Blockbuster formula?" Jackie questioned and crossed her arms. "And Cadmus?"

"We'll explain later," Robin simply replied.

"Kobra combined Blockbuster formula with Bane's venom to create Kobra-Venom," Wally informed, turning back to the main topic.

The seventeen year old scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. A Blockbuster formula? Kobra? Cadmus? And now Kobra-Venom? How much did she miss during her recovery?

"Which the Brain used to create his animal army," Robin interjected.

"And upgrade Wolf," Superboy added on while scratching Wolf under the chin.

"The Brain also used inhibitor collars, like the ones at Belle Rev Penitentiary," M'gann interjected.

Okay, Jackie was there for that. She just missed whatever Cadmus, Blockbuster formula, Kobra, and Kobra-Venom was.

"Batman, is it possible that plant thingy's on Kobra-Venom too?" Artemis asked.

"I had Green Lantern run a spot analysis." Batman swiped his hand across the space in front of him, bringing up a holographic keyboard, and typed on it, bringing up the result of what Kobra-Venom looked like. "The vines' cellulose does contain trace amounts of a Kobra-Venom variant."

"These cannot be coincidences," Aqualad stated, narrowing his eyes, as Robin brought up a holographic keyboard too, "unrelated crimes cooperating with one another world-wide."

"Exactly." Batman narrowed his eyes. "It's now clear our enemies have formed some kind of secret society of super villains. The attack on Metropolis is only the beginning."

"Got that right!" Robin typed quickly on the keyboard, bringing up four videos of four different cities where plant creatures sprouted. "Plant creatures have sprouted in Gotham City, Paris, Star City, and Tiapei."

Jackie's eyes widened in fear; Gotham City was under attack? Her uncle and mother were there! Were they safe? Were they close to the attacked area?

Suddenly, the videos vanished, leaving static and causing Batman to turn to the screens in surprise. "Dude!" Wally exclaimed to Robin, startling Electra out of her thoughts.

Robin's back bent forward slightly as he typed furiously on the computer, trying to get the videos back. "It's not me! Someone's cutting the satellite signal! All satellite signals!

The oldest teen pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes; who would cut the satellite signal and why? She glanced up as soon as the static noise disappeared and widened her eyes when the Clown Prince of Crime, also known as the Joker, appeared on all five screens. His grin widened as he tapped on the camera lens. "Ladies and Gentlemen," his malicious voice started, causing chills to run down her spine, as he pulled out a pocket knife, "we interrupt your regular scheduled mayhem to bring you _this_ important announcement." The Joker placed his hand on the camera before pushing it to his right, showing other super villains standing together. "From the _Injustice_ League."

"We are responsible for the attacks on your cities," Count Vertigo admitted, "if you wish to save them, our ransom of ten billion American dollars is required. Delivery instructions have been sent to the United Nations. There is no time limit. But, the longer your Governments wait-"

Joker's hand pulled the camera back over to him as his grin widened. "The more we get to have our _jollies_!" he finished then laughed maniacally before the screens went back to static.

"Roger that, Aquaman. Do you want to prepare the ransom as a fall-back?" Batman asked, pressing down on the comm in his ear, and narrowed his eyes. "But it won't come to that."

Robin typed furiously on the keyboard, eyebrows scrunched together in concentration as he rewinded the broadcast, and brought up six of the super villains standing together. "Count Vertigo, the Joker, Poison Ivy, Ultra-Humanite, Atomic Skull, Black Adam, and Wotan; seven heavy hitters! Probably behind nearly everything and everyone we faced!"

"There's your secret society," Wally added on.

"Not so secret anymore," Artemis whispered as she leaned in closer to Jackie.

Jackie crossed her arms across her chest, deciding it would be best if she stayed silent; she was still in the dark about what these super villains were capable of and what she had missed; if she listened, she might get some answers.

"Perhaps, after India, they realized we would deduce the truth and saw no point in hiding any longer," Kaldur stated.

"Yeah? That was their mistake." Wally smirked as he punched his fist into his other hand. "Right now, I say we go kick some plant-creature butt!"

"The Justice League will handle the plants." Batman narrowed his eyes. "I have a different job for this Team."

"Oh man," Wally complained under his breath then grunted when Artemis hit him in the arm.

"With the plants attacking so many locations simultaneously, there must be a central control system," Batman explained, "your mission is to destroy it."

The older teen widened her eyes; the Team was going to take on the Injustice League? They were going to destroy the central control system while the Justice League distracted the plants?

She couldn't tell if she was nervous, excited, or extremely afraid. The Injustice League were dangerous and _extremely_ powerful. Or, as Robin put it, 'heavy hitters'. How were they going to take them down?

"You realize what you're really asking them to do?" Zarara questioned, walking up to the Dark Knight.

"They're ready."

"Ready?" Wally questioned. "Ready for what?" He grunted and whined when Artemis hit him again, in the same spot. "Ow! Will you cut that-"

"Hello, Wally," the archer interrupted, "if the big guns are fighting plants, who do you think we'll be fighting?"

"I don't know! I guess we'll-" Wally cut off his sentence and glanced up at the picture of the super villains when Artemis pointed to it. He gasped. "Ohhh."

"Well, Batman, I trust you're correct," Zatara stated, glancing over at said-hero.

"I trust _you_ can locate the enemy?" Batman questioned.

"Indeed. Wotan's involvement suggests sorcery is part of how the plants are controlled." The expert sorcerer glanced over at the Boy Wonder. "Robin, if you would provide a holo-map." Robin typed furiously on the keyboard until a holograph of the Earth popped up in the center of the room. "I'll search for signs of concentrated sorcerist activity." Zatara walked over to the spinning globe and raised his hands up to it. "Etacol retnecipe fo yrecros!" The globe stopped spinning as a red dot appeared on it, blinking a few times. "There! That is where you'll find the Injustice League central control system."

"Coordinates locked in; the Louisiana Bayou," Robin stated.

"We are on our way," Kaldur informed before running with his Team over to the locker rooms to change.

Electra started to follow but stopped when a hand grasped onto her shoulder. She looked up at Batman as he held her in place before glancing back up at the retreating Captain Marvel. "Captain Marvel," he called out, making the Justice League member halt and turned to look back at him, "for this plan to succeed, the entire Justice League must be seen fighting the plant creatures. You, Zatara, and I are needed elsewhere."

The Captain nodded before jogging over to the Zeta-Tubes and entering them with Zatara by his side.

Once they were both gone, the teen glanced up at the Dark Knight. "Do I already know what you're going to say?"

"You need to stay here."

"Yep, I knew it."

He narrowed his eyes, making her take a step away from him and causing him to take back his hand. "I spoke with your mother. She told me that in order for you to heal, you can't perform any strenuous activities, which means _no_ missions."

She sighed and nodded once, knowing she couldn't risk injuring herself. "Then what am I supposed to do? Go home? Is my mother and uncle even safe?"

"No, I want you here and staying in contact with the Team to help them if necessary." He turned to face the screens. "And yes, your mother and uncle are far from the attacked site."

She sighed in relief before pursing her lips together. "How am I going to help the Team from here?"

"I want you to guide them; be their eyes and ears." He swiped a hand over the space in front of him, bringing up another keyboard as well as a few screens showing the inside of the Bio-Ship. He started to walk over to the Zeta-Tube. "I also want you to inform the Justice League of their progress via the comm link but _only_ after they either succeed or something has gone horribly wrong, understood?"

She nodded and walked over to the keyboard. "I understand. Good luck out there."

He walked through the Zeta-Tube, the computer announcing his departure. "Okay," she muttered and started pressing a few keys, trying to familiarize herself with the controls before the Team left.

After a few minutes, she glanced up at the screens when she heard her friends chatter as they hurried into the Bio-Ship, dressed in uniform. She turned up the volume to hear them more clearly and watched as they sat down and started up the ship.

Right as she was about to inform them of her presence, Wally started conversation as he turned in his chair to face the other members. "You know, it sucks Electra couldn't come."

She raised her eyebrows in surprise and decided to stay silent, wanting to eavesdrop on their conversation. "She has to recover from her surgery still," Robin informed, glancing over at Wally.

"She cannot risk injuring herself further," Kaldur added on.

KF shrugged. "Yeah, but we're fighting six super villains; no doubt she's disappointed she couldn't come with us."

"Actually, I'm alright with missing this mission," Jackie assured, startling all of them as they jumped in their seats and glanced around. She smirked. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"Electra?" Robin questioned, turning in his chair as he glanced around. "Where are you?"

"At the Cave. In the main control room." She typed on the keyboard, curious with what else she could do. "Because I can't do any strenuous activities for a while, Batman assigned me to act almost as a guide, so I can still be on the mission but not physically _be_ there."

"A guide? Does that mean you can see us?" KF asked.

"Yep."

"Whoa. I didn't know there were cameras installed in the Bio-Ship."

"Batman insisted I install cameras inside of her in case she was stolen on one of our missions or she was injured," M'gann explained.

"Makes sense." Robin turned back around to face the front. "So you're our guide, huh? How long will it take for us to get there?"

She typed his question into the computer, watching as a time came up. "Well, since your flying, I would say a little over eight hours."

"Eight hours?!" KF questioned incredulously. "Oh man! I should have brought extra snacks!"

"You'll live," Artemis countered, narrowing her eyes at him.

She shook her head, a small smile of amusement tugging at the corners of her lips. "And since it's a long flight, you have time to explain what I missed."

* * *

07:52 EST.

"So, you first learned of Kobra-Venom when you traveled to Santa Prisca?" Electra questioned telepathically, holding her head as she let everything they told her register.

"Yes, it should all be in the archives and database on the computer," Robin answered telepathically.

She widened her eyes and glanced up. "What archives?"

"The ones in the computer. All the missions are detailed inside of there."

She face-palmed; she should have known there were archives and a database. "Why didn't you tell me? I could have been caught up for the briefing."

"You never asked."

"And we never would have guessed we were going to take down six super villains all in one day," Wally added on telepathically before taking a bite out of his banana.

She sighed then glanced up at the computer, reading their destination. "You just entered the Bayou."

Silence engulfed the ship after her announcement, and she rubbed her upper arms, nervous for her teammates. Batman had confidence they were ready for this, but she was worried; her teammates, including her, were teenagers. How could they take down six super villains in the time span of a few hours in order to stop the worldwide attack on various amounts of cities?

A shaky breath escaped her, and she grunted when her stomach throbbed, making itself known to her that she was in pain. She groaned in annoyance and took out the pill bottle her doctor prescribed her, debating whether or not she should take them now or wait until after the mission was over. She decided on the former then popped one in her mouth and picked up the water bottle she had grabbed earlier to help swallow it.

"What's in the duffel?" KF asked, barely loud enough for Jackie to decipher, as he pointed at the bag underneath Kaldur's seat.

She scrunched her eyebrows in confusion; why would Kaldur have a duffel bag with him? "Yeah, what is in there, Kaldur?" she asked, still using the telepathic link because they didn't want to risk anyone listening in on their conversation.

The Atlantean glanced down at it before looking forward again. "Plan B."

She hummed before glancing over at Miss Martian when she groaned and watched as she held her head. "M'gann, are you okay?"

"You alright?" Conner asked, concern lacing his tone, as he looked worriedly at her.

"Dizzy," M'gann answered, looking over at her boyfriend.

"Martians get airsick?" Robin asked incredulously.

"She does look a bit greener than usual," KF interjected, observing the Martian.

"Not me; her."

"I feel fine," Artemis stated, placing a hand on her chest.

"Not her; the Bio-Ship," M'gann informed.

Suddenly, the camera screens that Electra was watching started losing focus as they blurred. "Um, I hate to alarm you but the cameras on the Bio-Ship aren't working properly."

"What do you mean?" Kaldur asked.

"I can't really see you guys." She started typing furiously into the computer, hoping to somehow fix the issue. "The screens are blurred out."

"She's trying to shield us," M'gann continued, "but-"

The other members screamed in surprise. "What?!" Electra exclaimed, eyes widening. "What's going on?!"

A few moments passed before she pounded on the keyboard, frustrated that she couldn't get the cameras to work again. "Guys, answer me! What happened?"

Soft moans reached her ears. "Electra?" Robin questioned, sounding tired.

"Robin, what happened?!"

"The Bio-Ship was shot down," KF informed.

"W-What?! Who shot it down?!"

Shocked gasps reached her ears. "And now we're being pulled below the water by the plant creatures!" KF exclaimed.

"O-Okay." She typed more commands into the keyboard, hoping she could somehow take control of the ship, but stopped when M'gann screamed shortly. "What? Did I do something?"

"He's hurting her!" M'gann exclaimed in anger.

Jackie scrunched her eyebrows in confusion; who was 'he'? "Who is?"

Superboy's battle cry resonated over the audio, and she gasped when she heard a loud cracking sound.

A few moments after, running water echoed over the audio, making her widen her eyes in realization; water was filling the inside of the ship, drowning her friends. "Guys, get out of there!"

"No!" Artemis yelled, "No way I'm nearly drowning three missions in a row!"

"Wow, uh," Wally replied, sounding surprised, "thanks."

"M'gann, we need to get out; open a hatch!" Superboy ordered over the audio.

"Hello, Megan!" M'gann exclaimed. "Of course."

A moment passed before she gaped in surprise when she heard Kaldur's ordering voice in her mind. "Out!" he exclaimed telepathically. "Everyone out!"

Jackie wrung her hands, listening as the Bio-Ship continued to fill up until the audio disabled, as she waited to hear from the other Team members. A shaky breath escaped her and her palms started to sweat.

"Electra," Aqualad called out, making her sigh in relief, "we are alright."

"I'm relieved to know that." She typed, bringing up a map of the bayou on the screen in front of her. "Now listen, I know which direction you need to go- Ah!" She clutched onto her head as an overwhelming sensation of dizziness overcame her. She fell on her knees as she groaned in pain and soon fell on her side, causing her stomach to throb a bit.

After a few moments of painful dizzy spells, they stopped suddenly, making her blink in confusion a few times as she panted. "W-What was that?" she muttered to herself and sat up, holding her head, before standing back up.

"Electra, are you alright?" Kaldur asked telepathically, making her gasp in pain at the loudness of his voice.

"I-I'm fine," she answered back, rubbing her forehead, "what was that?"

"Count Vertigo. He attacked us."

"H-Hang on." She typed away on the keyboard, trying to find an escape route if they needed one.

"Robin, Miss Martian, disappear," Aqualad ordered telepathically, "we will keep them busy! You two fulfill the mission objective!"

"Kaldur, I have an escape route if you need one," Jackie informed, highlighting the pathway they could escape through.

"No, we must stall time for Robin and Miss Martian. I need you to aid them."

She nodded once. "Okay." She brought up the area where Miss Martian and Robin had to go. "Miss Martian, Robin, can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear," the Boy Wonder answered via telepathic link.

"Yes, Electra. Robin and I have regrouped, and we're on our way to the central control location," M'gann answered telepathically.

"Good to hear that." She brought up her two teammates' location. "Now listen, once you walk ten more meters, you need to make a right then you'll be on the pathway to the central control location."

"Thanks, Electra, but I downloaded the map the second we left the Cave," Robin informed.

She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. "Robin, how am I going to help you if you're doing my job for me?"

"You can help me by making sure no one knows we're here."

She sighed and typed into the computer, searching for anyone else besides her friends. "So far, you're in the clear. Just follow the map, and I'll warn you if I see anything."

"Got it."

* * *

08:22 EST.

Jackie tapped on the keyboard, waiting for her teammates to arrive at their destination, as she watched the area around them to make sure no enemies were approaching from behind. She had to admit; she thought not physically going on the mission wouldn't be stressful, but it was ten times more stressful than actually going. She never knew what was going on around them, she couldn't hear them if they were talking out of the telepathic link, and she didn't know if they were still alive. What made it worse was that she couldn't save them if they were in danger; all she could do was give them a warning. How could it _not_ be stressful?

Speaking of danger, she hadn't heard from her other teammates that stayed behind to distract Count Vertigo and Black Adam. She typed on the keyboard, wondering if she could spot them on the map. When her computer picked up their location, she widened her eyes when she saw they were all huddled together but not moving. "Aqualad? Artemis?" she called telepathically, hoping to reach them.

"I've lost contact with Aqualad and the others," M'gann informed via telepathic link, "should we-?"

"Sorry, that's not the gig; this is," Robin interrupted, "Injustice League central control system."

"You guys made it?" Electra questioned, noticing they were only a few yards from the central control system.

"Yeah," Robin answered, "it looks like that plant is acting as an antenna to control the other plants worldwide."

She hummed then involuntarily glanced at the other two red dots that just appeared a few feet behind Robin and M'gann on the map. She scrunched her eyebrows in confusion before glancing at the still team members on her map then looked back at the uncalled for ones. Her eyes widened in realization; it was their enemies. "Robin! Miss Martian! Behind you!"

"You're a little late," the Boy Wonder informed.

"It's Poison Ivy and Ultra-Humanite," M'gann informed, "she entangled us in one of the plant creature's vines."

"While the giant ape is pointing a gun at us!"

"Okay. Miss Martian, perhaps you can use your telekinesis to change his aim; make him shoot the plants," Electra instructed then glanced over to see more red dots move closer to Robin and Miss Martian's destination. "Also, heads up; either more enemies are on their way or it's the rest of the Team."

"Robin and I escaped, but we split up and are now being chased," Miss Martian informed, "I'm going to try to lose Ultra-Humanite and regroup with Robin."

"Good plan." She watched as the unknown red dots made their way over to the other two, almost reaching them. "Whoever's coming, they're getting closer."

"Got it," Robin quickly answered.

After a moment or two of watching, M'gann spoke up again, "Robin, Electra, she's made contact."

"Artemis?" Robin asked, voicing Electra's guess.

"No," the Martian replied, and Jackie watched as the uncalled for dots passed right over M'gann and Robin before suddenly scattering.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed, watching them scatter. "What's going on on your end?"

"The Bio-Ship returned, and it knocked down Wotan and freed the rest of the Team from the cage he was holding them in," Robin explained, "M'gann and I are setting up the bombs on the ginormous plant creature serving as an antenna for the other plants."

She sighed in relief before telepathically connecting the rest of the Team to the link. "Good. Set them off as soon as possible."

She then called Batman immediately, informing him of the Team's progress and that they were about to blow up the central control system, before noticing that two more dots appeared, showing up close to the ginormous plant. "Robin?"

"The central control system's destroyed," he informed.

"Good but two more dots appeared, and I have a feeling it's the Joker and Atomic Skull; the two villains that haven't shown themselves yet."

"Again, you're a little late!"

She face-palmed; she sucked at informing them of enemies. "Sorry, I'm trying!"

She glanced over to see an incoming message from Batman, informing her that the other creatures stopped attacking once the central control system was destroyed and that he and the Justice League were on their way. "The Justice League is on their way."

"Electra," Robin weakly called, not responding to what she informed them of and sounding a little upset, "Aqualad used Plan B."

"What was Plan B?" she asked, worried, as her hands froze over the keys.

"He put on Doctor Fate's helmet."

She gaped; she might not have been there to witness Wally put on the Doctor Fate helmet, but he told her that there was a chance that whoever put on the helmet next might not be allowed freedom. "Kaldur," she whispered.

She shook her head, trying to focus on the map in front of her instead of what Aqualad did. "What's happening now?" she asked telepathically.

"Dr. Fate and Wotan are battling, Poison Ivy's trying to kill M'gann with Vertigo's help, Wolf and Superboy are fighting Ultra-Humanite, and Joker's trying to kill Robin," Artemis reported, "and Wally and I are running to help M'gann."

"Good plan, Artemis." She then grinned as several more dots moved rapidly towards their location, giving her hope that their nightmarish mission would be over soon. "The Justice League has arrived to help!"

"Wow, you are really bad at informing us of when new players arrive on the battle field," Robin pointed out.

"What?!" She narrowed her eyes at the map. "But they're still a little ways away; how did you know they were there?"

"I was only messing with you," he teased, and she could swear she heard the smirk in his voice.

She frowned. "Really, Robin? Now, of all times, you choose to tease me?"

"Just trying to lighten the mood."

"Lighten the mood? You do realize Joker's trying to kill you, right?"

"He's not anymore."

She grinned wider when she saw the League reach the Team, most likely taking control of the situation. "It's over," she sighed in relief, "it's all over."

After a moment or two, she gasped when Artemis' frantic voice echoed in her mind. "Joker Venom!" the latter exclaimed.

"What about the Joker Venom?"

"It exploded out of the spores of the plant creature that Joker sprouted up!"

She bit her lip and typed away on the computer, searching for a way to somehow help but knew there was nothing she could do. "Don't breathe!"

A few moments of silence passed, making her more worried as she waited for a response to tell her they were okay. "Hello?" she called out, concern lacing her tone, "Please answer!"

"We're okay," Artemis informed, making her sigh in relief, "Doctor Fate intervened."

She bit her lip harder at the mere mention of the name; now they had to wait to see if Aqualad would be stuck as a host for Nabu for the rest of his life.

* * *

09:54 EST.

Jackie paced the main control room, waiting to hear from the Team on Aqualad's status. How could she be so stupid? She should have questioned him harder on what Plan B was instead of letting it slide, so they could focus on the mission. Now, one of her closest's friend's could potentially be trapped inside of him for all of eternity and there was nothing that could be done to change it.

She stopped suddenly when the bay doors to the Cave opened, alerting her they did on screen. "What?" she questioned in disbelief and brought up the security monitors then gasped when she saw the Bio-Ship fly in, it a little shaky from the long flight and fight they endured.

Quickly, she hurried over to the other side of the Cave where the Bio-Ship usually slept, feeling her stomach throb from the strain she was putting on herself. But she didn't care what kind of pain she was in; she was more concerned with the rest of the Team.

Once she ran into the room, she smiled in relief when she saw the platform to the ship open, then hurried over to it before watching Robin walk down it first. "Genius!"

He glanced up from looking at the ground and grinned but grunted in surprise when she wrapped her arms around him, not caring that he was covered in mud. He chuckled softly and wrapped his arms around her too. "Well, it looks like _someone_ missed me."

She grinned down at him before letting go. "How did you get here so fast? I was expecting you all to get here the next morning."

"The Justice League helped us out." He shrugged. "I guess they're faster than us."

She nodded once then frowned. "Aqualad? Is he-?"

"Nabu let him go," he interrupted and pointed at the ship behind him, "he's still in there if you want to see him."

She nodded once. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I just need to take a shower. I feel gross."

"Yeah, I can tell," she teased, smirking, "you smell disgusting."

He smirked before engulfing her in another hug, making her squeak in surprise as she struggled to get out of his hold. "Then I'll make sure to give you some of the stench."

"Genius!" she exclaimed, protesting, as a grin made its way onto her lips.

He chuckled again before releasing her, letting her go, then walked past her as he made his way over to the showers. She dusted herself off, her grin turning into a small smile of amusement, then walked up the platform, only to be met with Wally and Artemis making their way over to it. "Artemis, Wally," she greeted and hugged both of them gently then gestured to the speedster's arm, which was held in a makeshift sling. "what happened to your arm?"

"Happened sometime during the fight. I think it's broken," he answered, glancing down at it.

"I'm taking him to the med-bay to get an x-ray done," Artemis informed, placing a hand on his shoulder and guiding him out, "we'll talk tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine," she replied then walked into the main area where Superboy, Miss Martian, and Wolf were, but she saw no sign of Kaldur.

"Electra," M'gann weakly greeted in surprise and pulled quickly away from Conner, who rubbed the back of his neck.

She smirked. "I already know you two are a couple; I was there when you two kissed, remember?"

Conner placed his hand back down at his side. "Oh right."

"Sorry, Electra." M'gann walked over to her and hugged her gently, who returned it. "You did great out there."

"So did you. I have to admit, I was really worried about you, especially once your Bio-Ship was dragged underwater."

"I'm fine and so is she. We both just need some rest."

She nodded once before crossing her arms. "Is there anyway I can help? Maybe clean her when she's up for it?"

The Bio-Ship beeped, making M'gann smile softly. "She would love that."

She nodded again before patting Wolf gently on the head when he walked over to her. "Good to see you too, Wolf."

Superboy walked over to them and placed a gentle hand on Miss Martian's shoulder. "We should probably go; we all need some rest."

"Yeah, you two go ahead." Electra stepped out of the way, allowing all three of them to pass. She then widened her eyes in realization and turned around to face them. "Oh! Uh, have you seen Kaldur?"

"He's in the back," Conner answered, stopping to face her, "said he needed to rehydrate himself."

She smiled and nodded in thanks at him before walking over to the backdoor and watched as they left. She took in a shaky breath and bit her lip as she glanced down then entered the backroom.

The teen girl glanced up and gaped as her eyes softened when she spotted Kaldur detaching an IV from his arm. He could have been gone forever. He could have become the next Doctor Fate, and she would have never been able to talk to him again. She inhaled a shaky breath, knowing she alerted him of her presence when he looked over at her.

"Electra," he greeted in surprise but smiled softly at her, "you were excellent tonight. I'm very proud of-"

She didn't give him the chance to finish as she hurried over to him and wrapped her arms around him, catching him off-guard. She knew she was probably making him uncomfortable but didn't care; she _had_ to hold him, _had_ to touch him, _had_ to assure herself that he was still there and standing in front of her. "I thought I lost you," she whispered as her tearful eyes blinked, causing tears to run down her cheeks, "I thought you were gone."

Hesitantly, he returned the embrace, and she felt his chin rest on the top of her head. "I'm sorry, Electra. I did not mean to hurt you."

She sniffled and pulled away from him, wiping the stray tears off her cheeks. "I know." She then glared up at him and punched him lightly in the arm, making him wince. "What were you thinking though?! Putting on the Doctor Fate helmet?! You could have become his host for all eternity! The Team would have lost its leader _and_ friend! Why did you put on the helmet when you knew the risk?!"

"Because I knew I had to protect the Team," he defended, his usual tone calm, "what we faced tonight was bigger than we were; we needed the extra power and strength."

She sighed and nodded once, her glare disappearing as her eyes softened. "I guess that makes sense, even though it was a stupid and risky move."

He smiled softly. "Every leader has to take the fall for their team, even if it means putting their life at risk."

"Yeah, yeah." She gestured to the door. "Why don't I walk you to the med-bay?"

He smiled wider. "I would appreciate that, Electra."

She smiled and walked out of the backroom with him, the lingering touch of his hand on the small of her back causing a blush to form on her cheeks as she struggled to restrain a grin from forming on her cherry red lips.

* * *

 **Author's note: Hey, beautiful people! I know this chapter wasn't my best, but I'm not feeling well right now, so I hope it was okay.** **Let me know what you think! :)**

* * *

 **Also, I posted a new story. It's called Desperate, and it's a Danny Phantom story. It's not about Danny's sister (I don't know if I'll keep that idea or scrap it). It's about Vlad Masters adopting a daughter out of desperation to lure Maddie to him. Feel free to check it out if you want to read it! :)**

* * *

 **Review Time!**

 **I believe there was only one Guest Reviewer (correct me if I'm wrong), so I'll answer your reviews. :)**

 **Hey, Guest! Sorry I took so long to update. I had major writer's block and couldn't get out of it, so I decided just to sit down and play with a few ideas until I broke free of the block. I decided to save what Jackie looks like until either the next chapter or the chapter after that. :)**

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review! Constructive criticism is welcomed and appreciated! :D**


	16. Chapter 16: Aftermath of surgery

**Disclaimer:** **I don't own Young Justice. I only own my OC's. All rights go to their respective owners. :)**

* * *

Gotham City

October 2nd, 9:52 AM.

Different.

Weird.

Freak.

That was how Jackie described herself every time she had to redress her wound. It was strange, seeing how skinny yet deformed her abdomen looked. The skin on the wound stood out compared to the rest of her stomach; it almost shined but not in a good way and looked as if it was sucked in, even though she wasn't trying to suck it in at all. Her belly button also looked deformed, but it didn't bother her as much as how the rest of her stomach looked.

Her doctor told her that because she had to have the skin grafting surgery on her abdomen, she would have to wear bandages until the wound healed and would have to stay away from strenuous activities, which meant no missions for a while.

She lowered her shirt over her fresh bandages, covering it, and stared at herself in the mirror, noticing the frown formed on her face. She hated the way her stomach looked now; it made her feel self-conscious and completely weird. Before she was wounded, she thought her stomach was her best quality; it made her look attractive, at least in her opinion it did. Now, she saw that she wasn't.

She pursed her lips and placed a gentle hand on her wound, wincing when the action caused an ache inside of it. She sighed, missing what she lost and wishing she could have her abdomen back.

Her eyes shot towards her bedroom door when she heard a knock sound from behind it. "Little Jackie, are you up?" her uncle's voice asked from the other side of it.

She straightened up and plastered on a fake smile to cover up her insecurity before walking out of her bathroom and into her bedroom. "Yes. You can come in," she answered.

Her uncle opened the door and stepped into the room, glancing around before landing his gaze on her. He rose a curious brow. "You going somewhere?"

She rose her eyebrows and glanced down, noticing she was holding her mask. "Yeah." She looked back up at him and tucked the mask into her jacket pocket. "I'm going to go see the Team. Maybe watch some training sessions."

He nodded once, pursing his lips. "Why don't you eat before you go? I made oatmeal."

She nodded and walked over to the door, smirking. "Well, if you made breakfast then I know I don't have a choice."

He chuckled, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "No, you don't." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and guided her over to the kitchen, being gentle so he wouldn't hurt her. "How's your leg?"

She looked down at the mere mention of it, forgetting that she had burned it too. "It's fine. To be honest, I haven't even felt any pain ever since the surgery."

He nodded once. "That's good. Does it look any different from before?"

"No, thankfully not."

As soon as they entered the kitchen, her uncle let go of her and walked over to the stove where the oatmeal was cooking. Jackie sat down at the table, suddenly noticing her mother's presence missing. "Where's Mom?"

"I took her to the hospital this morning." He walked over to the table and set down two bowls of oatmeal. "Her doctor wanted to see if she could walk on her own now."

She tilted her head. "She's tried walking before?"

He nodded and sat down. "I've been helping her."

"Oh." She picked up her spoon and dipped it into her oatmeal then spooned some and ate it, tasting the strawberry flavored oats slide onto her tongue. She swallowed before glancing back up at him. "Shouldn't you be with her?"

Normally, she wouldn't be concerned that her mother was alone in a hospital but now that her dad had moved to Arkham, she felt like her mother needed to be with someone until she was sure he didn't know they were in Gotham.

Jim glanced up from looking at his oatmeal, the spoon full of it only a few inches from his opened mouth. He set the spoon back in the bowl and sighed. "I know you're worried about her, Little Jackie, but she's in a hospital full of people; there's no way Tony's going to get to her."

She narrowed her eyes, his expression taken aback by hers. "Don't underestimate him; he's smarter than he looks."

He sighed again then reached over and took a hold of her hand, squeezing it gently. "She'll be fine, I promise."

She sighed and nodded before retracting her hand from his grip and continued eating.

* * *

10:09 EDT.

"So tell me, Electra," Black Canary started, crossing her legs as she leaned back in her seat, "how do you feel?"

Jackie nervously tapped her fingers on the armrest as she sat across from her therapist but stared at her lap, avoiding eye contact. "How do I feel about what?" she asked, her voice a bit timid.

She already knew what Canary was asking her but didn't want to bring it up; her surgery, the mole on the Team, and how traumatizing it was to sacrifice herself for Robin. Not to mention, she had her dad to worry about too, but Canary didn't know about him and most likely wouldn't know.

"You know what I'm asking you, Electra, and I understand why you don't want to talk about it." She uncrossed her legs and leaned forward. "But talking about what you went through is the first step to moving forward."

The teen sighed and glanced up at her. "And how long will it take for me to move forward?"

Her eyes softened. "However long you need."

She sighed again, this time more in exhaustion than in despair. "Look, what I went through was traumatizing, but I couldn't-no, I _wouldn't_ want to change the choices I made." She shrugged. "If anything, I'd put myself in those positions again."

"Why would you do that?"

She shrugged again. "Maybe because I don't want anyone else to."

"You had your friends' and family's safety at heart," she mused, "but why didn't you consider how those choices would affect _you_?"

"I did consider that!" she defended, straightening up, then slouched down as a frown settled on her lips. "Well, some of the time."

She hummed and leaned back again. "What did you think the consequences would be once you made these choices?"

"Well, I-I thought that I would lose the Team's trust, and I thought that I would have to get surgery, but I didn't think the wound was so severe."

She raised a curious brow. "What kind of injury did you expect? You suffered from third degree burns."

"I know, but I thought-" Her frown deepened, and she, self-consciously, wrapped her arms around her abdomen as she looked down. "I thought it wouldn't be so _deformed_."

Canary raised both of her eyebrows, almost in surprise. "Oh, you're talking about the aftermath of your surgery. You don't like the way you look?"

"No, not anymore."

Her teacher hummed. "Would you change anything that day-the day the two robotic twins attacked-now knowing what the consequences are?"

"No." She glanced up at her. "If it meant Robin or anyone else ended up in my place, then I wouldn't change anything."

* * *

11:10 EDT.

Electra walked over to the Mission Room with Black Canary behind her, who guided her out of the therapeutic room. "Tomorrow, we'll have another discussion," the latter informed, placing a hand on the former's shoulder and squeezing gently. She smiled softly at her, inwardly dreading tomorrow's session even though she knew it was supposed to help her.

A familiar mischievous cackle reached her ears, making the teen glance to her right once she registered it was coming from the lounge area. She glanced up at Canary, who patted her back once and left her standing in the hall. She smiled wider and walked over to the lounge area.

"Dude!" She heard KF exclaim and walked into the room, cocking a curious brow when she saw the speedster at the fridge and chugging down a milk carton.

"What's going on?" she asked, spotting the Boy Wonder holding his stomach and laughing as he laid back on the couch.

Wally put the milk carton down, it half empty, and glared over at his best friend. "When I wasn't looking, _he_ poured a bunch of tabasco sauce in my drink!"

She gaped and glanced over at Robin. "Why'd you do that, genius?"

"Yeah, seriously! I have a broken arm!" He gestured to his arm with his non-broken one. "You could have killed me!"

"Oh come on, KF," the Boy Wonder breathed out, trying to calm down his laughing fit, "you wouldn't have _died_."

"No but now my mouth is on fire!" He picked up the milk carton and chugged some more milk down.

"Robin, that wasn't cool." Jackie placed her hands on her hips. "He does have a broken arm."

"See?! She understands!" Wally exclaimed, slamming down the three-quarters empty carton on the counter.

"Oh please." Robin stood up and walked over to her. "He's fine. A broken arm's not going to kill him. Besides, he's a speedster; he'll heal fast."

She raised her eyebrows in surprise and looked over at Wally. "You can heal fast?"

"Well, yeah." He scratched the back of his head, almost sheepishly. "But not as fast as the Flash."

She hummed and smiled at him. "Still, it's pretty cool."

Wally grinned then dropped it when Robin cleared his throat, making both him and Jackie look over at him. "Speaking of healing," the Boy Wonder started, placing his hands in his pockets, "how are you feeling, Electra?"

She shrugged. "Fine, I guess. I'm still getting used to the fact that I can't train until after I'm completely healed but there's nothing I can do about that."

"Were you able to take a look at the after effects of the surgery?" KF asked then took another drink out of the milk carton.

She pursed her lips and looked down, the reminder of her hideous stomach coming back to mind. "Well, uh, yes."

"Do you look different?" The speedster questioned, making her wrap her arms around herself and frown, "Do you have a scar?"

The Boy Wonder stared at her reaction, frowning when he noticed she hugged herself tighter, almost as if she was trying to protect herself or she was covering up her wound because she felt self-conscious about it. "KF, lay off on the questions." He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, making her glance over at him. "She doesn't want to talk about it right now."

"Oh, uh, okay." He shrugged his shoulders then put the milk carton back in the fridge. "Sure. No problem."

She sighed, almost in sorrow, and turned away from the two as she walked away from Robin, causing his hand to fall back to his side; she needed some air.

Right as she turned the corner, her hearing picked up the sound of hurried footsteps. She pursed her lips again and opened the closest door next to her in the hallway, wanting to get away from, whom she guessed, Robin. She pushed her ear up against the door, listening as the footsteps got louder before passing by the door and hurrying to the other end of the hall.

She waited a few moments before pushing herself away from the door, believing she was in the clear, then turned around and slid down until she was sitting on the floor. Even though she knew Robin only wanted to comfort her during her recovery process, she needed to be alone for a while. Not to mention, she didn't want any more sympathy from anyone; it was bad enough she received it from her mother and uncle every day; she didn't need it from the Team.

The sound of a door opening reached her ears, making her widen her eyes and gape at seeing the least person she wanted to see during her self-pity moment. He walked out of the attached bathroom and glanced over at the door, widening his eyes as soon as he saw her. "Electra?" he questioned. "What are you doing here?"

"K-Kaldur, I, uh, didn't know you would be in here," she stuttered, inwardly rolling her eyes at her sudden wave of nervousness.

"Yes, well, this is my quarters," he stated, making her eyes widen a bit more.

"T-This is your quarters?" She brought her knees up to her chest, wanting to cover her abdomen as much as possible. "I thought you lived in Atlantis."

"I do but sometimes I stay up here if I am too tired to return to Atlantis." He crossed his arms. "What are you doing here? Are you alright?"

She sighed then looked away from him and hugged her knees, wishing she had chosen a different room to hide in. Apparently, her silence was a good enough answer for the Atlantean; he walked over to her and sat down on the floor next to her then placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up at him. "I understand you've been going through a lot," he started then squeezed her shoulder gently, "but I want you to know, that if you need someone to vent to, I will listen."

She smiled softly. "I know you will, Kaldur."

"Then tell me." He took his hand off her shoulder and, hesitantly, reached over and took her hand, unraveling it from her grip around her knees. He held it, intertwining his fingers with her own and making her eyes widen in surprise, then glanced back up at her. "What is wrong?"

She frowned and looked down, allowing a sorrowful sigh to escape her lips. "It's the after effects of the surgery."

"Your stomach?"

"Yes, my stomach." Slowly, she pushed her knees down to let her legs rest on the floor, uncovering her abdomen. "It's awful."

"Electra, I am certain that it is not as bad as you believe it is."

"No, you don't understand! If you saw what the surgery did to it, you would understand why I feel this way." She placed a hand on her stomach as her frown deepened. "It's ugly."

"Electra." He squeezed her hand gently, making her look back up at him. "You are not ugly so _please_ stop lying to yourself." He looked into her eyes, them softening as he smiled gently. "You are the most beautiful girl I have ever met."

She gaped, unsure of what to say, as a blush crept up to her cheeks, making her turn her head away to prevent him from seeing it. He complimented her. _Her_. Even though she knew she should of expected it because of his caring personality, she was completely caught off-guard. "You've never seen me without the mask," she whispered.

"I do not have to to know that it's true."

Slowly, a small smile adorned her lips and her eyebrows raised slightly. Her eyes softened as they filled with tears, but she didn't dare let them fall. Her heart beat rapidly against her chest, causing her to wonder if he could hear it.

Did he have feelings for her just as she had feelings for him? Or was he just being kind and trying to make her feel better? She _had_ to know; it might ruin their friendship, but she had to test him to know if he liked her or not. "Kaldur," she started, whispering, "what do you-"

She yelped suddenly when the door behind her slid open, causing her to fall back. She grunted when she hit her head against the floor and squinted up at the Boy Wonder's dark silhouette towering above her.

"There you are." He crossed his arms and smirked. "I figured I'd find you with Kaldur."

She gaped up at him before recovering and huffed then sat back up with Kaldur's help. "I didn't know this was Kaldur's room."

He snickered then walked into the room, sneaking a smirk at Kaldur before shutting the door and sliding down it until he was sitting next to Jackie. He pursed his lips and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She sighed in despair and slumped her shoulders, knowing he was asking about her wound. If it was anyone else other than the Boy Wonder, she would have talked about it with them; but, she ended up getting her wound _because_ she saved his life and knew that if she shared that with him, he would feel even more guilty than he probably already did. "No, not really."

Kaldur sent her a confused look, making her telepathically connect the two of them. "I know I started talking about it," she telepathically stated, answering his confused expression, "but not in front of Robin; I don't want him to feel any more guilty than he probably already does."

"Understood," he telepathically answered and placed a hand on her shoulder before speaking verbally, "when you are ready to discuss it, we will be here."

She smiled softly at him before turning to Robin when he squeezed her shoulder gently. "When you're ready," he whispered, smiling slightly.

She nodded once then stood up with both of her teammates' assistance. "Why don't we go do some training?" She opened the door. "I feel like I could use the practice."

Aqualad crossed his arms. "You're not supposed to train until you are completely healed."

"Oh, I know. I wanted to see you two spar while I observe." She shrugged. "I'll practice the moves in my head."

Her two teammates smiled before following her out, heading to the Mission Room.

* * *

5:43 EST.

Jackie had to admit, not being able to train was miserable and boring. Sure, she was memorizing her teammates' fighting techniques, which was kind of helpful, but she wanted to be in on the action too. Instead, she was stuck sitting on the sidelines next to 'Mr. Broken Arm', or, in other words, Wally.

She glanced up at him as he ate out of a bag of chips, inwardly grimacing at his lack of manners as he crunched loudly. She rolled her eyes in disgust and continued watching the sparring matches between Robin, Kaldur, Artemis, Superboy, and M'gann. She sighed, a little loudly, making Wally glance over at her. "You okay?" he asked after swallowing the chips in his mouth.

"Yeah," she sighed out and leaned forward, resting her chin in her hands, "I just wish I could be sparring right now."

KF snorted and threw more chips into his mouth. "I don't."

She raised a curious brow. "Why not? It'll keep you in shape."

"Yeah, but every once in a while it's nice to just sit back and relax as we watch our teammates do all the hard work."

She rolled her eyes again, this time in annoyance. "You know, Wally, for a speedster, you can be really lazy sometimes."

"I'm cool with that."

She shook her head once, a small smirk of amusement settling on her lips.

"Alright, everyone." Black Canary crossed her arms as she observed the teammates. "That's enough for today."

The seventeen year old girl straightened up, listening to Black Canary. "Why don't you go home? Get some rest. You earned it," the latter complimented, uncrossing her arms, "I'll be back tomorrow."

The lighted circle underneath the Team dimmed, signaling training was over for the day, and everyone walked off it, heading off to do their own activities. Electra stood then offered her hand to Wally, but he sped off the ground before even noticing. She sighed then turned around but gasped and stepped back when she saw Kaldur standing behind her.

He rose his eyebrows in surprise. "I apologize. I did not mean to frighten you."

"It's alright, Kaldur." She placed a hand on her now fast-paced heart. "I know it wasn't your intention."

He smiled then gestured to hallway leading to the kitchen. "Would you like something to eat?"

She shook her head. "No thanks. I'm eating with my family tonight."

He nodded once. "Then perhaps we can finish our conversation from earlier?"

She smiled and nodded before allowing him to place his gentle hand on the small of her back and guide her to the kitchen.

Right as they entered, she smiled in relief at not seeing Conner and M'gann there since it was their usual hangout. She walked over to the couch then sat down, turning to fold her legs underneath her and face Kaldur as he sat down next to her. He turned towards her, folding his legs underneath him as well. "So," she started, placing her hands on her knees.

"So," he repeated and crossed his arms, "you were about to ask me something earlier. May I ask what that was?"

She rose her eyebrows in surprise, suddenly remembering what she was going to ask him earlier. She wanted to know if he liked her, not just as a friend or a teammate but as something else.

She cleared her throat, a bit uncomfortable; how was she going to ask him? What if she ruined their friendship? Sure, she was fine with asking earlier but now she wasn't so sure she should. After all, she now didn't want to ruin what they already had. Their friendship may be weird because of the unanswered and silent question floating around them, but she'd rather have that than nothing at all.

"Electra?" Kaldur questioned, making her snap her head back up at him.

"Sorry." She cleared her throat again and shifted her position so she was sitting cross-legged. "I spaced out for a bit."

"It is alright." He tilted his head. "What is it you wished to ask me?"

"Well," she started and rubbed the back of her neck nervously, "I-I just wanted to know if you-? Well, what you thought of-?"

He tilted a curious brow.

She sighed shakily, nervous for his reaction, then closed her eyes briefly and looked back up at him as a thought came to mind. "Ho-How is Tula?"

How was Tula? His old friend? Why would she ask _that_? That wasn't what she wanted to ask him at all! Gosh, she was such a coward, especially when _she_ was the one asking.

"Tula?" he questioned then furrowed his brow in confusion, "That is what you wanted to ask me?"

"I-I." She face-palmed, inwardly berating herself for being so cowardly. "Gosh, this is ridiculous."

"What is?" He scooted closer to her then took her hand away from her face and held it in his. "Please tell me."

She bit her bottom lip as she stared at their intertwined hands then squeezed his gently. He squeezed back then tilted her chin upwards, forcing her to look up at him. "Electra, tell me," he whispered then gently moved his hand upwards, his fingers slowly sliding up to her long golden hair then pushing it behind her ear and letting his hand rest on her cheek, "please tell me."

Jackie slowly leaned into his touch, feeling the burning desire to be closer to _feel_ him. Closing her eyes slowly, she let out a sigh. "What is this?" she breathed out, unsure if he heard her, "What are we, Kaldur?"

"I am _uncertain_ ," he whispered.

A few moments later, she widened her eyes when a pair of soft and smooth lips met hers, them moving softly against her own. She closed her eyes and attempted to move in sync with his, but he pulled away as soon as she started, making her wonder if she had done something wrong.

"I'm sorry," he apologized then glanced away, "I did not mean to be so forward."

"N-No, I-"

He stood up off the couch, causing her to stop herself from continuing. "I do not believe I am ready for something like this."

Ready? If he wasn't ready then why would he kiss her? Why would he be giving her signs that he liked her? She bit her bottom lip and watched as he walked out of the kitchen, causing her to feel a sense of confusion and wonder if she had done something wrong.

* * *

 **Author's note:** **Okay, I have to know. Do you all like where I'm going with this? I noticed that I haven't gotten that many reviews lately and am wondering if you all are enjoying the story. If you don't like it, will you please tell me what you don't like about it, so I can improve it? Thank you. :)**

* * *

 **Review Time!**

 **Okay, so there were, I believe, two guest reviewers.**

 **Thank you, Guest #1, for your review. I appreciate the ideas and may use them for future stories. :)**

 **Thank you, Guest #2, for your review. I have an idea of how I want Jackie's past to be revealed but that will not happen until later on. :)**


	17. Chapter 17: Confused

**Disclaimer:** **I don't own Young Justice. I only own my OC's. All rights go to their respective owners. :)**

* * *

Mount Justice

October 4th, 14:34 EDT.

It had only been two days and the nervousness, stress, and confusion was already frustrating Jackie. Every time she tried talking to Kaldur about what happened or walked into the same room as him, he simply avoided her and went to his quarters, where she was not allowed to go to! It was awful! Their friendship may never become a friendship again if he kept avoiding her!

What was she supposed to do? Avoid him too and pretend that they were _just_ teammates? Demand that he talk with her when they were in the presence of the rest of the Team?

She frowned as she ate out of the ice cream container, it being a comfort during her stressful trial. She spooned some chocolate ice cream into her mouth and flipped through the channels on the TV screen as she tried to distract herself while the Team was out on a mission, and she was stuck there 'relaxing'.

Well, KF was there, but he was being waited on by Captain Marvel. She didn't know where they both were but honestly didn't really care. Her mind was occupied with overwhelming her with more important, yet stressful, thoughts than her friends whereabouts.

* * *

15:07 EDT.

She held her knees up to her chest as she watched-well, _tried_ to watch the one of the many King Kong movies she found on a random channel. So far, it was awful but there was nothing else on that she could possibly get interested in watching. So, she sat and watched, waiting for the famous and legendary King Kong to reappear.

A few moments later, she turned her head slightly as she heard the sound of footsteps approaching the room. She glanced back at the screen and rolled her eyes in annoyance, hoping whoever was coming would grab what they needed from the kitchen and leave her to watch the stupid movie by herself. She listened as she heard whoever it was enter the room, stop for a moment, then walk over to the kitchen and open the fridge. The sound of bottles being moved around reached her ears, making her frown that the noises were distracting her from her movie. Once she heard the fridge close, she let her chin rest on her knees in disappointment when she heard them walk over to where she sat.

"Oh cool! I haven't seen this movie in forever!" Wally's enthusiastic voice exclaimed, making her frown in disappointment that he didn't leave, "This is the best movie ever, don't you think?"

She shrugged then glanced over to see him sitting on the couch opposite of hers and holding a soda can. "It's okay. Not too great, in my opinion," she answered truthfully then turned back to watch the movie.

Her hearing picked up the 'pop' sound of the soda opening then a few gulps, making her realize Wally was drinking his soda. Once he finished, he sighed in content and leaned back. "You know," he started, "it's pretty nice not going out on missions."

"You said that yesterday."

"Yeah."

For some odd reason, an awkward tension surrounded Jackie, and she was sure Wally felt it too when he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. But, honestly, she didn't want to get rid of it. She needed silence right now, so she could distract her thoughts and sure enough she was getting it.

"How's your stomach?" he asked, making her bite her lip to restrain herself from sighing in frustration.

"Healing," she answered simply, not wanting to expound on it, "how's your arm?"

"Good. You know, just letting it heal."

"Yep."

Another awkward silence surrounded them, making the teen girl sigh when she couldn't distract herself with the movie.

"You okay?" Wally asked from behind her.

"Yep. Just perfect."

"You don't sound 'perfect'." She listened as she heard him stand up from his spot. She sighed again when he entered her view and sat down in front of her, blocking her from seeing the movie. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Wally."

"Something's obviously wrong." He took a sip out of his soda then glanced back at her when he finished. "Are you upset about not going on the mission?"

She frowned. "Nope."

He hummed and pursed his lips as he glanced away, appearing in deep thought. She rolled her eyes and tried to see past him to watch the movie. "Is something going on with you and Rob?" he asked, making her glance back at him.

"No."

"That's good." He took another sip before looking back at her. "What about you and Kaldur? I noticed you two have been avoiding each other lately."

"Nothing's going on between me and Kaldur." She turned around and stood up out of her seat. "And nothing's wrong with me so please stop pestering me with all your questions."

"Fine. Jeez."

She rolled her eyes again then walked over to the archway and walked out of it, seeking to search for a spot to be alone for a while.

* * *

17:14 EDT.

What was the best place to be alone where you were certain no one could find you? Outside the Cave, sitting in a tall tree, and surrounded by other trees that provided good camouflage.

Jackie sat, alone, on a tree branch that satisfied her need for isolation. With her leg dangling over the branch and her head leaning back against the hard wood of the tree behind her, she was finally at peace. Well, for the moment she was.

Luckily for her, she managed to distract herself for two hours with watching the beautiful scenery of the ocean in front of her. Even though she hadn't stepped one foot back into the water ever since the robots attacked, she felt at peace.

It was strange; she was supposed to be afraid of it. Perhaps admiring it from a distance was much easier than _actually_ swimming in it? She didn't know the reasoning but didn't care all that much. Right now, she just wanted to focus on the beauty of nature.

Unfortunately, her peaceful moment was disturbed once she watched the Bio-Ship fly overhead and head to the Cave. She sighed in disappointment, wishing her teammates stayed out longer on the mission.

Still, she wasn't going to go back for a while. Once the Bio-Ship entered the Cave, she would return back to her peaceful state of mind to continue distracting herself.

Ten minutes passed until she jerked out of her peaceful state of mind when she heard a branch snap in the distance. She turned around, being gentle not to move to roughly in risk of damaging her wound, then glanced over in the direction that the twig snapped. When a familiar tall female figure came into view, she relaxed and leaned back against the tree again.

"Electra!" Artemis called, seemingly looking for her.

The older teen sighed then glanced over at her, figuring she should at least make her presence known so no one else would search for her. "Up here!"

The archer glanced up from underneath the tree then took a step to the side to see her better. "What are you doing up there?"

"Hanging out. Want to join?"

The archer shrugged then started climbing the tree, heading towards her. Electra scooted back into the tree to make room and waited for Artemis to reach her.

Once the younger teen did reach her, she pulled herself over the branch and sat down in front of her. She carefully held onto the branch beneath her to steady herself before glancing up at Jackie. "So," the archer started, "Wally told me you snapped at him."

The seventeen year old scoffed. "Well, isn't he the little tattle-tale?"

Artemis smirked. "Don't worry. He gets under my skin too some of the time."

Both girls giggled shortly. "But seriously," the archer continued, "why did you snap at Wally? That's not like you at all."

Jackie sighed, feeling dejected as the reminder of what had happened between her and Kaldur came to mind. "It's a long story."

"One that you can share with me." She placed a gentle hand on Electra's knee. "You can trust me."

She pursed her lips then sighed. "Kaldur and I kissed."

Her dark gray eyes widened instantly, showing surprise. "You and Kaldur kissed?"

"Yeah." She rubbed her upper arms, feeling a bit nervous. "Well, he kissed me."

"When?" She blinked once then tilted her head. "Where?"

"Two days ago in the Lounge." She sighed again and glanced to the side, staring at the ocean as her vision blurred with unshed tears. "And now he's avoiding me because of it."

She bit her bottom lip then patted her knee gently, causing her to glance back at her. "I don't know Kaldur's side of the story, but you know he's not doing it to hurt you, right? That's just not who he is."

"I know that." She looked down. "But I wish he would just talk to me."

"I know you do, and he will." She smiled softly then patted her knee again. "He just needs time and space to work it out and when he's done getting that, he'll talk to you about it."

Electra smiled softly and nodded once then blinked away her tears. "That does explain things."

Artemis smiled a bit wider before smirking and rolling her eyes. "Boys are so weird."

Jackie smirked back. "They probably think the same way about us."

She shrugged and took her hand off of her knee before crossing her arms. "True, but we both know who the weird ones really are."

Both girls giggled again in response before calming down and glancing over at the ocean waves.

A few moments of blissful silence passed before Artemis looked back at her. "So, what did you want to tell me about Jade?"

"Jade?" She looked back at her then tilted her head in confusion. "What about her?"

The archer scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. "A few days ago you told me you wanted to talk about Jade. It was before we went to fight the Injustice League."

Her eyebrows shot up as her eyes widened in remembrance. "Oh, that's right!" She sulked a bit as she sheepishly smiled. "Oh, that's right."

Artemis narrowed her eyes slightly. "What?" she asked warily.

"We have more in common than we thought."

"What are you talking about?"

She pursed her lips before sitting up and hesitantly reaching towards her mask, making Artemis widen her eyes and gape at her. Once her gloved fingers touched the mask, she slowly took it off then glanced up at her and smiled sheepishly. "We go to the same school, Artemis."

The archer blinked a few times in surprise but then narrowed them. "I've seen you before."

"Yeah, I accidentally rammed into you on your first day and knocked us both over."

Artemis gaped, recognition seen in her eyes. "You!"

Jackie sheepishly shrugged. "Yeah, it's me."

Still gaping, she glanced over at the ocean before face-palming and leaning slightly forward. "I don't believe this."

"I know. Surprising, right?"

She scoffed then glanced up at her. "So, we go to the same school, we both know Jade, we both hate Sportsmaster, and we both live in Gotham. Is there anything we _don't_ have in common?"

She shrugged and smiled. "Don't know. Perhaps we'll get to know each other better at school?"

She smiled softly and sighed. "Yeah, I guess we will." She raised a curious eyebrow. "But first, I'd like to know your name."

"It's Jackie Morris."

She nodded once. "So, was there anything you wanted to tell me about Jade or did you just want to reveal your secret identity to me?"

"I wanted to reveal who I was. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Alright." She gestured to the Cave. "We should probably get back. No doubt the Team will try and find us if we don't turn up soon."

"Yeah, we probably should."

* * *

 **Author's note: Hey, beautiful people! I know this chapter is super short, but I realized that I forgot to have Jackie reveal that she and Artemis went to school together. Whoops! XD**

 **Anyway, only one person told me what they weren't enjoying about my story, and I really want to hear from the rest of you as well. Please let me know what you think. Thank you so much. :)**

 **Okay, I know some of you don't like Kaldur and Jackie being shipped together but it was my original intention to put them two together. I was going to make this a story about them two only but then I didn't think that was good enough or would attract that many readers, so I wanted to give her a backstory and her own life instead of it only being a romance. I did it to give Jackie a love interest and honestly I didn't really find that many Kaldur X OC stories out there so I did this. I hope you all will still read my story because it is based on Jackie's past and not focused on her romantic relationship with Kaldur (even though there will be some chapters including romantic moments between them). Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read this message, and I hope you do stick around because this fanfic is focused on Jackie's past. :)**

* * *

 **Review Time!**

 **Hey, Guest! Thank you for your review and for answering my question! I know Kaldur might get a love interest in season 3 and that's great but when I originally started this story, I knew I wanted Jackie to have a love interest and that love interest was Kaldur. :)**


	18. Chapter 18: Humanity

**Disclaimer:** **I don't own Young Justice. I only own my OC's. All rights go to their respective owners. :)**

* * *

Mount Justice

October 10th, 16:58 EDT.

Jackie and Kaldur haven't spoken in a _whole frickin' week_ ever since _he_ kissed _her_ , and it was killing her! She wanted to so badly talk to him, to assure him that what he did was okay because she was sure he was embarrassed, even though she hoped he wasn't. But the problem was, he still needed his space and time, and to get that was to avoid her as much as possible.

It was confusing, weird, awkward, frustrating, and a bit disconcerting. She wished he would get over what had happened already and pull her away to speak with her concerning the matter. Normally, she was a patient person but when it came to something like this, her patience was wearing thin.

"Pineapple juice!" Captain Marvel announced and handed over a glass of pineapple juice to Wally, who was relaxing in a recliner and not sparring with the others.

Wally took the glass from the Captain and slurped some juice through a straw. "Ah, just what the doctor ordered," he sighed, it sounding a little _too_ relaxed.

Electra sat next to him, not in a chair of course, but on the floor; she did not want to use Captain Marvel, like Wally was using him; it just felt _wrong_.

She rolled her eyes in annoyance then rested her chin in her hands as she watched the training session her teammates were undergoing. She sighed, it almost in sorrow as she watched with a sense of longing to be training. Yet, of course, Batman restricted her from doing so until he heard from her mother that she was given permission to do strenuous activities.

"How's the arm doing, Wally?" Captain Marvel asked, and she glanced over to see him bent over and examining the speedster's arm.

"Eh." He reclined back in his chair. "Nothing wrong nachos can't cure."

"Nachos?" Captain's eyes lit up instantly then he levitated up in the air. "Oh! I'll go get you some!"

Before the League member could leave, he stopped in front of Jackie. "How's your stomach doing?" he asked.

She shrugged then smiled. "Better than yesterday, Captain."

He grinned. "Do you want me to get you anything?"

She shook her head. "Nope, I'm good."

He nodded once then took off rapidly, causing Jackie's hair to whip to the left. She smiled in amusement and reached up to fix her now wild locks of hair.

"Good work, everyone," Black Canary praised, earning the seventeen year old's attention as she looked over at her after fixing her hair, "in fact, it's been a very productive week."

"Yeah, for everyone, except Kid _Malingerer_ ," Artemis teased, smirking.

"Hey!" Kid retorted, glaring, "Arm broken in combat against the Injustice League here!" He then glanced over at Electra. "And what about her? She hasn't been training either!"

"That's because I'm under doctor's orders not to, Wally," Jackie defended, smirking at the speedster.

"Unlike you," Artemis interjected, smirking wider, and crossed her arms.

He huffed and sipped more of his juice.

Canary chuckled and shook her head slightly. "I've really enjoyed being your, uh, 'Den Mother' this week."

"Recognized: Zatara: 1-1," the computer announced, and Electra glanced over at the Zeta-Tubes to see said-hero walking through them.

She tilted her head with interest when he brought up a holographic computer close to the Zeta-Tube and typed something into it. "Access granted. Zatanna Zatara: A-0-3. Authorization: Zatara: 1-1," the computer again announced, and Jackie stood up then walked over to stand next to Artemis to meet whoever was walking through the Zeta-Tubes.

The bright lights from the Zeta-Tubes diminished, revealing a young teen girl wearing what looked to be a school uniform and exiting it. "Zatanna, this is the Team," Zatara introduced as she walked up to him, "Team, my daughter, Zatanna."

Zatanna's eyes softened as a slight frown adorned her lips, and she nervously rubbed her right arm then smiled slightly when M'gann levitated over to her and landed in front of her. "Hi," the latter greeted cheerfully, "I'm-"

"Robin!" the Boy Wonder interrupted, cutting M'gann off as he stepped in front of her, "I mean, uh, I'm Robin."

An amused smirk tugged at the corner of the seventeen year old's lips, and she crossed her arms as she watched the Boy Wonder in amusement.

"She's Megan," he continued, nervously smiling and turning to look at the others, "uh, and that's Wally, Artemis, Electra, Kaldur, and Conner."

"Welcome to the Cave," the Atlantean welcomed, smiling slightly at her.

Zatanna let out a silent breath and averted her eyes to her dad. "Uh, thanks," she replied, nervousness clear in her tone.

"So, uh," Robin started, chuckling slightly, "are y-you joining the Team?"

The smirk on Jackie's lips widened slightly, already coming up with ideas on how to tease Robin about his new crush.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Zatara answered for her, making the seventeen year old frown, then took off his top hat, "this is strictly a visit." He glanced over at Canary. "I am sorry we missed the train. It's something from which-"

"Do the rest of you get the impression we're still on probation with Zatara?" M'gann asked telepathically, starting a link, then scrunched her eyebrows and narrowed her eyes slightly in annoyance.

"Not just Zatara," Superboy replied telepathically, "I mean, why is Marvel still hanging around?"

Wally smiled. " _Because_ we like having him around."

Artemis smirked and placed her hands on her hips. "You like having him around 'cause he waits on you hand-and-foot."

Wally rose his eyebrows in surprise. "And your point is?"

Kaldur crossed his arms. "It almost makes one nostalgic for Red Tornado's term here as our supervisor."

Jackie rubbed her arms nervously, wanting to say she agreed with Kaldur, but he wasn't talking to her at the moment so why make their situation even more awkward by saying anything at all? It was best she avoided him as well.

"Yeah." Robin looked over at Zatanna. "At least he trusted us."

"If you ignore that we shouldn't of trusted _him_!" Superboy glared and threw up one of his arms to express his growing rage for the League member. "He was a traitor! That machine nearly got M-" He widened his eyes, stopping himself for a brief moment then glared again. "-All of us _killed_!"

"Are you guys having a psychic conversation?" Zatanna asked, walking past Robin and causing everyone to glance at her, "'Cause I can't decide if that's cool or really rude."

Electra bit her lip then glanced over at Canary and Zatara, who were both staring intently at each of them, almost as if they were waiting for them to give in to the menacing, yet awkward, silence Zatanna created to reveal what they were discussing privately.

"Alright, fine," Conner gave in, speaking verbally and slumping his shoulders in defeat, "we were talking about Tornado." He turned around to face the two League members then narrowed his eyes slightly. "It's been weeks since his attack and the League hasn't told us anything."

Canary frowned sympathetically and softened her stare. "The League is searching for Tornado as well as the other androids that invaded the Cave _and_ their creator, T.O. Morrow. Batman's made tracking him down our highest priority."

"But you found none of the above!" Robin retorted.

"Not yet." Canary narrowed her eyes slightly and stepped forward. "But Tornado is Justice League. The Team is _not_ to pursue this."

The seventeen year old glanced over at Kaldur, watching as he glanced down to narrow his eyes to possibly avoid confrontation. She softened her eyes then widened them in alarm when he looked over at her. Before she could smile at him or do anything, he looked back over at Canary. She sighed quietly in despair, wishing he would just say something or at least give her a chance to do something.

"Why don't you all take Zatanna on a, uh, tour of the Cave?" Zatara suggested but trailed off a bit when he noticed his daughter wasn't behind the Team any longer.

Electra narrowed her eyes in confusion then turned around when she heard an almost soft purring sound and spotted Zatanna sitting next to Wolf while petting him gently.

"Uh, you're giving a tour?" Captain Marvel's voice asked, and Jackie turned to see him walking into the room with a plate of nachos for Wally. Wolf instantly jumped up and away from Zatanna then ran over to the League member. "Cool!"

"Actually, I was hoping you'd take Wolf outside," Superboy stated, walking up to the Captain, "he needs the exercise. We'll join you in a few."

Captain Marvel grinned and nodded. "Sure, sure. I can do that." He turned to Wolf. "Come on, Wolf!" He started sprinting away from the Team with Wolf following close behind, his tongue sticking out and letting drool fall on the floor as he eyed Wally's nachos.

Wally gaped as he hopelessly stared at the retreating Captain carrying his plate of nachos. "Wha-? B-But my nachos!"

Jackie smiled in amusement and walked beside Artemis as they followed the rest of the Team while Superboy dragged Wally to follow them.

Once they reached the kitchen, the seventeen year old widened her eyes when she noticed Zatanna attire changed from a school uniform to a purple colored tank top and white capris.

"When did you-?" Robin questioned, completely taken aback when he saw her appearance, "How did you-?"

"We're not _really_ taking a tour, are we?" Zatanna asked in exasperation, changing the subject to not answer the Boy Wonder's questions.

Superboy and Aqualad, who were in front of the Team, stopped and turned to face her. "No," he replied immediately then glanced over at Aqualad, "we're hunting down that robot."

The Atlantean nodded. "Yes, we are," he confirmed.

"Oh, wow." Zatanna rose her eyebrows in surprise and smirked. "Out loud and everything."

"What about new girl?" Artemis asked, wariness clear in her tone.

Robin chuckled and shrugged. "I'm sure she won't tell."

"I can't tell." Zatanna turned to face Robin then smugly smirked. "Not if you kidnap me."

Jackie smirked with amusement and crossed her arms. "Oh, I like her," she telepathically told Artemis, only connecting the two of them.

Artemis nodded at her then smirked and placed her hands on her hips and turned to face Zatanna. "She's going to fit in great."

* * *

17:24 EDT.

Because Kaldur was avoiding Electra, he didn't stop her from boarding the Bio-Ship and going with them on the mission. He only glanced at her once but then averted his eyes forward, not wanting to speak with her.

She frowned at him then glanced around and noticed that her usual spot next to Robin was taken by Zatanna. Not wanting to ask her to move, she telepathically sent a message to M'gann to ask the Bio-Ship to create another seat.

"Hello, Megan!" the Martian exclaimed through their link, "Of course, we need more seats!" She extended her arm out and a seat instantly created itself on the ship. Unfortunately, it created itself in a place Jackie dreaded the most; it was right in front of Kaldur.

Forcefully, she smiled gratefully at M'gann then walked over to her seat and sat down, feeling the ship strap her in. Right away, she felt the intense stare coming from Kaldur, forcing her to slouch down in her seat to somehow avoid it. She bit her bottom lip nervously as she felt the awkward tension float around the two of them, making her wish, for once, that she stayed at the Cave during the mission.

A few beeps interrupted her worried thoughts, and she glanced up as the speakers above them turned on. "M'gann," Canary's voice, it sounding confused, came over the intercom, "the Bio-Ship wasn't authorized for departure."

"We're kidnapping Zatanna!" Miss Martian immediately exclaimed, sounding a little too excited, "Uh, to show her Happy Harbor! Be back soon!"

"Roger that," Canary replied, doubtfulness and disappointment clear in her tone, "have fun."

Once Canary and M'gann ended the transmission, Jackie looked over at Robin when he sighed in frustration. "Where are we going?" he questioned, glancing at all the others, "Batman is the world's greatest detective, and he searched for Tornado and T.O. Morrow in every logical location. If we're going to do better, we need an illogical solution." He looked over his shoulder, staring at Wally, then smirked. "A truly _dumb_ idea."

Wally glanced at the others, noticing they were all staring at him and waiting for him to express any ideas he might have. "As a matter of fact," he admitted, smiling proudly, "I have an idea."

* * *

Belle Reve

18:32 CDT.

Wally's 'dumb' idea was to interrogate Professor Ivo at Belle Reve. Jackie had to admit; the idea wasn't that bad. Ivo and Morrow were competitors, at least that's what the speedster mentioned while explaining his idea, and would possibly know Morrow's whereabouts. So, they all stood around the room, waiting for the guards to bring in Ivo so the interrogation process could begin.

As they waited, Jackie stayed close to the back, leaning up against a table next to Zatanna. She crossed her arms and glanced over at Kaldur, who stood close to the table Ivo would be sitting behind, then softened her eyes as she stared, wondering how long it would take until he would _finally_ talk to her.

Apparently, her stare could be felt because Kaldur glanced over his shoulder at her, making her widen her eyes then glance down, feeling heat creep up her cheeks in embarrassment. "This isn't fair," she thought then sighed and closed her eyes, "this isn't fair at all."

"You okay?" Zatanna asked,causing the seventeen year old to open her eyes and glance up at her.

"Yeah." Electra glanced back over at Kaldur, who had turned to face the other way. "I'm fine."

A few moments of awkward silence passed before the guards walked in with Ivo then seated him behind the table. The professor sat down willingly then the guards left, leaving the teenagers to interrogate him.

"Warden Strange owed us a favor for stopping last month's prison break," M'gann started, answering Morrow's unasked question, and narrowed her eyes, "he's given us five minutes with you."

"Spill, Ivo! How do we find T.O. Morrow and his Reds?" Superboy questioned impatiently.

Ivo rose a skeptical brow as he glanced at the two incredulously. "Now why in the world would I know how to find Morrow?"

" _Because_ ," KF started, "and here's a truly dumb idea, you're Morrow's biggest competitor in the evil android game. Who better to keep track of what he's up to and where?"

Ivo smirked and nodded once at the speedster. "Ah, I see your point so let me rephrase: why in the world would I tell you how to find Morrow?"

Electra narrowed her eyes at the professor; he knew, and he was withholding the information they needed from him.

"He knows." Aqualad walked forward, standing beside Miss Martian, and glanced at her. "Do what you must."

Jackie glanced over at Zatanna when she stood up from off of the table and walked over to stand beside Ivo, scrunching her eyebrows in confusion as to why she thought being closer to him would help in the interrogation.

Ivo chuckled. "Oh please!" He crossed his arms and smirked. "As if I've never faced a telepath before."

The seventeen year old was about to stand up and give M'gann a hand but stopped when Zatanna leaned closer to Ivo. "Trulb tuo s'worrom eurt noitacol!" the latter exclaimed, narrowing her eyes.

Ivo's eyes widened. "Morrow's in a secret underground base beneath Yellowstone National Park, one hundred meters south of Old Faithful!"

Jackie gaped as did the others, surprised that Zatanna was able to force the information out of the professor with just a few words. Apparently, she knew more about magic than they gave her credit for.

Ivo gasped and clasped his hands over his mouth. "Wait!" He looked at each of them in surprise. "What just happened?!"

Electra smirked and crossed her arms. "You just gave us what we wanted, Ivo."

* * *

Bio-Ship

19:05 CDT

Being seated behind her was supposedly the worst-well, that was what she thought when she had registered what Kaldur had done; he moved two seats back, farther _away_ from where Jackie sat on their trip to Belle Reve. Now, she was sitting in front of Superboy for a whole two hours!

Sitting in front of Conner wasn't a bad thing, of course, but it hurt Jackie now that she knew her and Kaldur's friendship would _never_ be repaired.

"Block out all external communication," Aqualad ordered, bringing the troubled teen girl out of her thoughts, "soon, Canary and Zatara-Batman too, I imagine-will know of our _visit_ with Professor Ivo. We haven't much time."

"Look," Robin started, his tone unusually nervous and making Electra glance over at him to see that he was talking to Zatanna, "I'm trying to be all nonchalant here-"

"Why?" Zatanna asked, smiling flirtatiously over at him. "Be as chalant as you'd like."

The Boy Wonder grinned, it a little more bigger and goofy than usual.

"I think we're all just trying to get a handle on your powers," Artemis explained, butting in on their conversation, "could you teleport us to Tornado, or Morrow to a cell? Or force his bots to surrender?"

"Or create peace on Earth for all time?" Zatanna rhetorically asked, "Zatara couldn't even do all that, and I'm nowhere _near_ on my Dad's level. I need to know a spell cold. Or else, have time to prep it. Plus, all magic requires energy which usually has to come from within." She glanced down at her hand, clenching it into a fist. "I just can't make the impossible happen at will."

"What's our ETA to Yellowstone?" Conner narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists. "I'm way passed ready to stuff Tornado into a trash compactor."

"Are you so certain he betrayed us?" Kaldur asked, glancing over at Jackie to see her staring back at him. She pursed her lips and glanced forward again, looking away to avoid further awkwardness.

"Aren't you?" Superboy retorted.

"I am not convinced," Kaldur replied, his voice a bit more louder which caused Jackie to shrink in her seat, "and even so, that makes him but the victim of his creator's programming. Certainly, he deserves a chance to prove he's more than the weapon others designed him to be."

Electra bit her bottom lip, silently agreeing with the Atlantean.

* * *

Yellowstone National Park

20:22 MDT.

Finally, after two long and exhausting hours they arrived at Yellowstone National Park. Following Aqualad's orders, Miss Martian landed the Bio-Ship about a mile away from the supposed location of Red Tornado.

Once landed, Kaldur stood up and pressed the 'A' symbol on his suit, causing his clothes to change to darker colors. "Stealth mode," he ordered.

Jackie watched as Kid Flash, Artemis, and Miss Martian changed to their stealth uniforms. Pursing her lips and closing her eyes, she focused on her illusional powers to create a more camouflaged look for herself.

After a moment, she opened her eyes and glanced down to see her original turquoise tank top changed to a darker blue color, her black clothing changed to dark gray colors, and her laces changed to a dark blue color. She didn't bother with the mask; it could be considered camouflaged already.

"Nice," Artemis complimented simply, smiling gently at her.

"Thanks," the seventeen year old thanked, smiling back before frowning when she glanced at Kaldur to see him glance away from her.

She sighed in sorrow and crossed her arms then glanced back up at Artemis when the latter placed a hand on her shoulder. "Time and space," the latter simply whispered, smiling sympathetically.

She nodded once then began to walk forward, heading over to the platform of the Bio-Ship to leave.

"I recommend you stay behind," Kaldur suggested, walking up to stand next to Zatanna by the platform and causing Jackie to hide behind a wall until both were done with their conversation.

The young magician rose a curious eyebrow. "Is that an order?"

"No." He shook his head. "You must do as you see fit."

"Good." She smiled then rose her hands halfway. "Emit ot yrt tuo eht wen kool!" Jackie gaped in surprise as she watched a swirl of smoke surround the young magician then dissipate to reveal her wearing a new uniform, one that was much like her father's but more feminine.

The seventeen year old gasped softly when a hand was placed on her shoulder and glanced over it to see Artemis behind her. The archer gently pushed her out from behind the wall and towards the platform, heading towards the other teens. Both stopped next to them and waited for the other members to join them before heading out to find Tornado.

As soon as they arrived, Electra waited for them all to exit the ship, including Kaldur, to leave as well; she didn't want to distract Kaldur or be in the way. She narrowed eyes, though, when said-Atlantean didn't follow after the others, so she walked passed him, believing he was waiting to know if she would go with them or not.

"I recommend _you_ stay behind as well," Kaldur suggested from behind her, making her widen her eyes in shock that he was speaking to her.

She turned to look at him, noting the blank expression on his face. "Is that an order or is it a suggestion?"

He crossed his arms. "It is an order."

She frowned; was he letting what happened between them get in the way of their missions? "Why is it an order for me?"

"Because you are still injured," he answered with no hesitation, narrowing his eyes.

She clenched her fists and narrowed her eyes as well, making him widen his in surprise; he was letting what happened between them get in the way of their missions! "Well, it's a good thing I'm almost healed then, isn't it?"

Without waiting for him to respond, she hurried outside, disobeying her leader for the first time.

* * *

20:44 MDT.

Yes, she understood that disobeying her leader wasn't the best idea to do on the mission, but she couldn't help it! He wanted her to stay behind just because he kissed her and _that_ was unacceptable! Although it was awkward, she wasn't going to stop going on missions just because Kaldur didn't want her there.

Electra ran as quickly as she could to keep up with Robin. Aqualad, of course, was following from behind, which caused her to run faster to stay ahead of him. After all, she didn't want to start any arguments with him while they were performing the mission; _that_ wouldn't help either of them perform well.

When Robin stopped in front of her and knelt down in front of a fallen tree, she stopped and knelt down next to him to peer at the holographic map he brought up on his glove. "Ivo was right," he reported, "something's down there."

Before she could move, Kaldur ran ahead, leading the Team to their destination. She stood back up and followed from behind, making sure to keep a good distance between the two of them.

Right as she was about to catch up to M'gann, she grunted when a powerful gust of wind hit her dead on, forcing her to stumble backwards. She extended her arms out in front of her and tried fighting through it but gasped when she saw Aqualad hurtling towards her. Not wanting him to crash into her, she allowed herself to be thrown back by the winds then yelped when she harshly landed on the hard gravel a few feet away from the Atlantean.

Jackie glanced up to see if she could spot the sudden cause of the storm and widened her eyes when she spotted Red Tornado levitating above them. "Red?" she muttered, shocked that he would want to hurt them.

Before any of them could stand up, the android extended his arms, causing several red swirling tornadoes to surround them.

"Why Tornado?!" M'gann screamed, her eyes widened, "Why are you doing this?!"

The former League member didn't answer; he only created more tornadoes.

Jackie narrowed her eyes and stood up, receiving Miss Martian's message telepathically. "Message received?" the latter asked telepathically.

Once the other members confirmed that they had received her message, Superboy glared up at the android. "Who cares why!" he exclaimed and started racing towards him, "Nail him!"

Electra took to the sky to take on the android in the air but gasped when she saw Aqualad be thrown up at Tornado by Superboy. Her eyes widened in fear as she watched the android punch Kaldur in the jaw, effectively throwing the Atlantean back to Conner.

As soon as they both lay still on the hard gravel, she glared at Red Tornado and flew rapidly towards him. "Stop this, Tornado!" She fired up an electric ball in her hands. "Or I'll make you!"

She threw the electric ball but before it could make it, he extended his arms out, and she watched in horror as it stopped hurtling towards him and started hurtling towards her. Reacting quickly and sticking with the plan, she turned around and tried to fly away but screamed shortly as her own electric ball hit her in the back, causing her to fall. Right before she hit the gravel, she slowed herself down with her flight to prevent herself from injuring herself further. Once she landed, she closed her eyes, listening to the swirling whirlwinds and the screams from her fellow teammates until the last one was 'taken out'.

"Quite a performance, brother," an unidentified robotic voice complimented, it almost sounding mocking, "but we both know that's all it was."

Jackie opened her eyes slightly and carefully looked up to see another unidentified android standing on top of a large rock formation he created from the ground. From where she lay, she couldn't make out much of the unidentified robot's appearance but knew it was more powerful than Tornado himself.

"I have all of your memories, Tornado. Plus, a next-gen processor," it continued and extended it's arms out, making the teen girl widen her eyes and sit up, "I know your next move before you do."

The new android brought up a large piece of rock, and the Team stood up to see that the words 'Play Dead' were written on it. Electra smiled, relieved Tornado was still on their side and tried to save them.

It scoffed. "Blowing a message into the sand?" It extended it's arms towards them, causing the rock formation he was holding to break apart and hurtle towards them.

Immediately, Jackie grabbed Artemis and flew them up into the sky, flying them both away from getting bashed by gigantic rocks. The archer took out her bow and shot a few explosive arrows at more rocks that the android tried to strike them with, effectively breaking them into smaller pieces. "Drop me!" Artemis exclaimed. The seventeen year old glanced down at her before reluctantly setting her down on the ground and flying beside her towards the android.

"Zatanna?" Robin's voice asked telepathically, it sounding concerned and reminding Jackie they were all connected through a link.

"I'm good," Zatanna assured telepathically, "but Red Tornado's getting away!"

"Is he abandoning us?" Artemis asked via link.

"No, he couldn't be!" Electra exclaimed then charged at the android, glancing to see Red Tornado retreating from the battle.

"No! I don't believe that!" M'gann exclaimed as well and flew beside Jackie.

"You don't stand a chance against me, humans!" the droid exclaimed before punching Wally out of the way, who raced up his rock formation to try and stop him.

"We're not human!" both Miss Martian and Superboy exclaimed in unison before charging at the android.

Jackie flew back a little, flying behind M'gann and Superboy to strike after they did.

"Apologies." The android lifted up his hands halfway. "I suppose the properly inclusive term is-" Jackie shot back right as two large gravel hands smashed Superboy and M'gann together then proceeded to break apart. "- _Meatbags_."

She widened her eyes and flew forward, catching both M'gann and Superboy before they hit the ground. As quickly as she could, she dodged several hurtling rocks then set both of her teammates on the ground and charged at the android. "Tornado didn't know me that long!" Once she reached the bot, electricity formed in the palms of her hands, and she reached forward to grasp onto the bot's head and blow his darn head off.

Unfortunately, she failed.

A shocked gasp escaped her lips when he quickly grabbed her wrists and pulled her closer to him. "Long enough," he coldly retorted, his tone dark and sinister, then threw her, causing an involuntary yelp to escape her lips.

Before she could stop herself from hitting the hard gravel and breaking her spine, she grunted when something rammed into her and threw the both of them to the side. A pair of arms encircled her upper body, and she was roughly turned so she was laying on top of whoever caught her before they both hit the ground. Her mind registered it was Kaldur when he let out a grunt as his back collided with the hard gravel beneath them. As soon as he landed, however, she fell out of his grip and involuntarily struck the ground a few times before rolling to a stop.

"Ow," she muttered then glanced up to see Kaldur rubbing the back of his head then look over his shoulder to see her.

"Are you alright?" he asked, concern lacing his tone.

"Peachy," she sarcastically replied then pushed herself up, her entire body screaming in agony, "you?"

"I am fine." He stood up then hurried over to her and held out a hand, offering it to her. Hesitantly, she took it and let him help her stand up, smiling at him in gratitude. He smiled back, it looking a bit smaller than his usual smile.

The sound of an explosion going off reached their ears, making them glance over to see Robin throwing a few explosive birdarangs at the android before hurrying over to Zatanna. The Atlantean and her both nodded once, seemingly having the same idea, before charging back at the machine.

"Ekoms emoceb a dlofdnilb!" Zatanna exclaimed from behind the two charging teenagers.

Jackie smirked as some of the smoke covered the android's eyes, acting as a blindfold. The seventeen year old flew up into the air, grasping onto Aqualad's hand to carry him with her, telepathically sending a message that they could sneak up on the machine and take him out while he was vulnerable.

Before Aqualad could respond, Electra halted, and they both watched in horror as the machine's eyes started glowing red, destroying the blindfold, then shot red lasers up into the sky, causing a volcano to erupt from behind him. "Oh no," she muttered.

"Electra, ground! Now!" Kaldur ordered and immediately she lowered him onto the ground but levitated beside him.

The seventeen year old gaped as lava spewed out of the volcano and shot up into the sky. "No," she muttered, in shock that the mission took a terrible turn for the worse, "this can't be happening."

"He's activated a stage two eruption," Wally explained telepathically, jumping over the android, "it gets to stage three, kiss the hemisphere goodbye!"

"Hit him from all sides!" Kaldur ordered via link and took out his two water bearers then created water swords out of them.

Jackie narrowed her eyes and charged at him, charging up her electricity to full power; she couldn't anything back anymore; that android _had_ to be destroyed. Right as the droid hit Aqualad then threw Superboy out of the way, she fired all of her electric powers at him, hoping it would shorten his circuits or at least slow him down.

Unfortunately, it wasn't her lucky day.

The android saw her attack coming and hit her with a large rock, one she didn't see coming. It hit her chest, making her grunt and knocking her aim off as the electricity missed his head by an inch, then threw her back. She landed roughly on her back with a loud yelp but immediately stood back up, ignoring her aching body, and flew towards M'gann when lava shot up from the ground beside her, causing her to scream from the burning flames.

"M'gann!" Superboy called, worry clear in his tone, as he started to race towards her.

Before he could reach her though, the android landed between them, shaking the ground beneath them and threw Superboy back then picked up the weakened Martian by the cape and held her high.

"Ekoms dna srorrim etaerc Dik Hsalf snoisulli!" Zatanna exclaimed, touching Kid Flash's shoulder.

Electra grinned as multiple duplicates of Wally were created, and they charged at the droid, trying to get to M'gann to save her. Wanting to help, she fired more electric balls at the android to distract him while the real Wally snatched Miss Martian from his grasp and raced her over to where her other teammates were.

She stopped in mid-air, firing up more electricity to shoot at it but stopped when she heard something else erupt. Fearing it was another volcano, she whirled around but shot back when a long and powerful stream of water flew past her and hit the new Red dead on, pushing him into a pool of lava.

"Nice hit!" Robin exclaimed, grinning at Aqualad.

"Good job, Kaldur," she telepathically complimented, knowing he wouldn't be able to hear her from where she levitated in the sky.

"The _hit_ was not mine," the Atlantean telepathically admitted, making Jackie turn to look at him, "look!"

Glancing to where he was pointing, she gaped in surprise to see one of the twins that attacked the Cave about a month ago controlling the water swirling behind them. He then floated up, creating more water to keep him in the air, and shot more waves at the new Red. Steam erupted when the waves shot the new Red back into the lava, pushing him back down.

The new Red rose up on a lava-covered tower of rock but fell back into the lava when Tornado flew out of nowhere and into the tower, effectively destroying it.

Right as he rose back up, fireballs started hurtling towards him, striking him every second, and she glanced up to see the other twin shooting at him. The female Red charged at him and tackled him, but he caught her fists before she could push him down. "Sister! Brother! Stop!" he exclaimed.

Both the twins ignored him and rammed into him, pushing him below the lava. Tornado soon joined and charged into him, effectively preventing him from getting back up.

Jackie levitated downwards, in shock, yet astonished, that the robotic twins that had attacked the Cave had joined Tornado into stopping their supposed brother from killing them all. And Tornado was sacrificing himself _for_ them as he slowly sunk into the lava.

Luckily, before he could sink any further, Superboy ran forward then lunged at him and pulled him out of the lava, saving his life but not his legs. The clone set him down in front of the Team and then they all gaped up to see the volcano quake and rise up, growing bigger to create a much more powerful eruption.

Wally narrowed his eyes and turned to Tornado. "Tornado, listen! We're on the verge of a stage three super volcano eruption! There's no turning back from that! We need a vent pressure fast or the ash cloud will bring on worldwide nuclear winter unless you divert it!"

Red Tornado nodded once, understanding what he had to do.

"Triangulate a route of pressure locus!" Wally ordered, glancing over at the Boy Wonder.

"Right!" Robin brought up a holographic map of the volcano on his glove computer then pointed out three red dots on it. "There, there, and there!"

After Robin pointed out where the pressure locus was, Artemis shot three explosive arrows at it, creating pressure points on the volcano.

Right as smoke erupted from the pressure points, Tornado flew up, his flying a bit rough because of the loss of his legs. Though weakened, the League member managed to fly above the smoke and create a vent pressure to suck all of the ash from the the volcano and into space.

The seventeen year old watched in anxiousness as the ash was sucked out of the volcano then sighed in relief when the lava started losing it's color, cooling down.

"Yes!" Wally exclaimed, raising a fist in the air.

"It worked!" Jackie exclaimed, grinning, then frowned in sympathy as she watched Tornado fly downwards before collapsing on the ground.

Immediately, the Team ran over to him, wanting to save his life.

* * *

21:17 MDT.

Once Tornado told them instructions on how to get to Morrow's lab beneath the volcano, the Team took him there to repair him.

Robin exhaled then wiped his brow as he took his hands out of Tornado's circuitry beneath his face-plate. "There, that should do it."

"Yes." Red lowered his face-plate. "I can speak again."

Aqualad stepped forward. "You were willing to sacrifice yourself to save the planet."

"The planet would have survived," the League member corrected then turned his head to look at him, "it was humanity that was saved. Though, not by me; my sister and brother were the true heroes this day."

Aqualad set a gentle hand on the robot's shoulder. "My point is this: you were never the mole, never a traitor."

"No, I left to protect you from further attack and to find my creator, Morrow."

Leaning up against the doorway to the lab and watching from afar, Electra smiled in relief; Tornado wasn't the traitor, which meant her identity and the Team's were safe for the time being and knowing that brought her a sense of peace.

Yet, at the same time, it also brought a sense of uneasiness. It meant that the Team was back at square one into finding the traitor. How were they going to figure out who the traitor was when they didn't even have any clues to help in their investigation?

"Cool!" Kid Flash exclaimed, bringing the seventeen year old out of her thoughts, and held up a spare robotic hand, "Souvenir!"

"Red!" Robin called, holding a spare robotic leg, "We can rebuild you! Better than you were before!"

"I do not believe I should be repaired," Tornado solemnly admitted, glancing away from Kaldur.

"Why'd you volunteer to become our Den Mother in the first place?" Superboy questioned, turning around to face the android lying on an examination table.

"I was the pragmatic choice." Red glanced over at him. "I do not require sleep. I have no secret identity or second-life to live."

"But you do have advanced A-I programming." Wally smiled. "Designed to learn, adapt, and evolve."

"Hello, Megan!" Miss Martian exclaimed, grinning, "You wanted to become more human!"

"And you couldn't do that with the League." Artemis smirked and placed her hands on her hips. "They're _stiffs_."

"You're sure not going to learn emotion from Batman." Robin smirked. "Trust me."

"Then the Cave was not only a proving ground for us, but for you as well," Aqualad stated.

"I do not know if these statements are accurate, but perhaps, they are true." Tornado glanced over at the teenagers. "And if I understand the term correctly, I believe I have come to _care_ about you all."

Electra softly smiled at the android then pushed herself off of the doorway and turned around to walk out of the room, feeling the need to leave them alone for a while.

"See?" She heard Superboy joke. "Practically a meatbag already."

The teen girl smiled wider then loosely hugged herself as she walked through the halls, heading towards the exit to make her way to the Bio-Ship; after all, the rest of the Team could handle repairing Red without her.

"Electra!"

Her footsteps stopped, making her eyes widen as she registered it was Kaldur's voice. She sighed; he probably wanted to talk to her about her disobedience earlier. Slowly, she turned to him, watching as he hurried over to her. "What's up, Kaldur?"

He stopped right in front of her, his chest heaving slightly as he tried to calm his breathing from hurrying towards her. "May I speak with you?"

She shrugged. "Sure."

He nodded once then hesitantly placed both of his hands on her upper arms, making her bite her lower lip in nervousness. He glanced down. "I am sorry," he apologized in a whisper, "I did not wish to get my heart broken again."

Her eyes softened as she realized he was discussing what had happened between them a week ago. Knowing what she had to do, she reached up slowly and cupped his cheek, making him glance at her. "Getting your heart broken is, unfortunately, a part of life; it teaches us to grow and move on and search for someone else we can let in, so our broken hearts will heal." She looked down. "When two broken hearts find each other, they tend to pull each other in to heal after what had broken them in the first place." She smiled softly then glanced back up at him. "That's what I want to do for you, Kaldur. I want to heal your broken heart." A shaky breath escaped her lips when she took a step closer to him. "Please let me."

A few moments of silence passed between them, causing a sinking feeling of dread to come over her; he didn't want to let her in. Slowly, the smile on her lips left and a dreadful sigh escaped them before she turned from him and took a step away from him, deciding it was best to leave.

Before she could take another step though, a soft gasp escaped her lips, and she looked down to see his hand gently holding hers, stopping her from leaving. She looked up at him, her eyes shining with hope as her breath hitched in her throat and waited for his response.

His thumb gently caressed the back of her hand, and he gently pulled her closer to him then looked into her eyes, his own softening. "Come in," he whispered.

A small smile adorned her lips, and she loosely wrapped her arms around his neck, and he wrapped his around her waist. "Okay," she whispered, her lips mere inches from his own.

"Will you let me in as well?" he asked, whispering against her lips and stopping her from closing the gap between them.

Her small smile grew and a tiny breathy laugh escaped her lips. "Come in," she whispered, repeating what he had told her.

He smiled softly then leaned down, closing the gap between them. She allowed him to set the pace of their kiss and moved in sync with his, both of them moving softly against each other but unaware they were both being watched.

* * *

 **Author's note:** **Hey, beautiful people! I know I ended it before the episode was over, but I thought it was a good stopping point. I hope you liked it! Who do you think saw them both kiss? Let me know what you thought! As always, constructive criticism is welcomed and appreciated. :)**

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 **Thank you, beautiful DemonQueen69, and beautiful YannieMae, for following and/or favoriting my story! :)**

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 **Review Time!**

 **Thank you, Guest, for your review! Don't worry. There will be plenty of romance between Kaldur and Jackie because I feel the same. He rarely got any love in the first and second season, so he's going to some in this story. ;) Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying my story, Guest! :)**


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